Latest / Bleacher Report / Matteo Arnaldi & Flavio Cobolli to Face Off in All-Italian Semifinal | Roland-Garros 2026

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Matteo Arnaldi & Flavio Cobolli to Face Off in All-Italian Semifinal | Roland-Garros 2026 · Bleacher Report

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So we now have Kboli and Arnaldi the All Italian semifinals.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: It is one one the most recent match right here.
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  Speaker 1: Roland Garos second round Koboli four sets knocked him out,
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: so they do have recent on this play. But it
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  Speaker 1: is interesting kabol playing at a high level hasn't been
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: on court as much as Arnaldi. Arnaldi has been all
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  Speaker 1: over the place, and in this youth movement where we
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: have men Chic, Caboli just turned twenty four in May
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: and he is on the cusp of top ten. There's
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  Speaker 1: a good chance he becomes top ten after this. We
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  Speaker 1: had him on the set, a very confident young man.
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  Speaker 1: We had Menshic as well, but Kaboli has something right now,
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  Speaker 1: a certain glean in his eye that makes you think
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  Speaker 1: he thinks he can win this though.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, he definitely has the juice. I think when we
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  Speaker 2: have seen the swag of the younger guys and the
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  Speaker 2: younger generation, they're just different. I don't know what they're eating,
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: I don't know what they're drinking. I don't know what's
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  Speaker 2: going on. But when I ask Minchica, I'm like, what
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  Speaker 2: type of training are you doing that you can play
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  Speaker 2: three five setters? So you're not able to even practice
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  Speaker 2: those things. So to even see Koboli get out there
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: and play the tennis he did again against Lerner was incredible.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: He basically annihilated him of someone who had just won
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  Speaker 2: a tournament on clay, who had been playing so well.
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  Speaker 2: I think just the vibes that they're giving off, as
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  Speaker 2: Sam likes to say, the aura that they're bringing to
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  Speaker 2: the court, is actually truly incredible and special, especially for
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  Speaker 2: the young guys. And it's nice to see that they've
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  Speaker 2: all taken advantage of their draws and the younger guys
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  Speaker 2: are really stepping it up.
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  Speaker 1: Some sweet moments before this match as well, Berrettini Koboli
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  Speaker 1: interacting with each other when they're all on the bike afterwards.
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  Speaker 1: It's sort of this group, you know. Caspar Rude talked
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  Speaker 1: about it after Madrid. I believe it was actually Rome
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  Speaker 1: when he said, the Italian Federation, what they're building, even
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  Speaker 1: beyond center right now is very special, and I think
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  Speaker 1: this tournament is exemplifying it, and it goes back to
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  Speaker 1: even when they were kids. Berrettini Koboli able to share.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, look at this, you know, like what's going
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  Speaker 1: on in Italian tennis right now you bank talk about
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  Speaker 1: a farm system.
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  Speaker 3: I mean they're they're getting them from the grassroots, building
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  Speaker 3: them up, They're growing with each other. But I think
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  Speaker 3: one of the biggest things, and we spoke about it
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  Speaker 3: during the match, is that they're investing so much into
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  Speaker 3: the lower levels of prote that's giving kids that are sixteen, seventeen,
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  Speaker 3: eighteen the opportunities to test their level against the pros,
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  Speaker 3: even if it is at a younger level. They can
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  Speaker 3: then go back train, figure out what they need to improve,
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  Speaker 3: and then when they get into the Challengers, they're not starstruck.
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  Speaker 3: They played them a few times, They've played guys who've
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  Speaker 3: been in the top two hundred, and I think that
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  Speaker 3: confidence is just growing. It also helps when you're being
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  Speaker 3: led by a guy like Yannick Center and you can
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  Speaker 3: practice with them, you can get advice from them, and
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  Speaker 3: the coaches that have kind of surrounded that Italian Federation
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  Speaker 3: have done a great job of reinvesting their time, reinvesting
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  Speaker 3: their resources, and it's giving the younger kids the ability
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  Speaker 3: to see it and say, well, if that kid did
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  Speaker 3: it and he comes from the similar background as I did,
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  Speaker 3: maybe I can do it as well. And I think
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  Speaker 3: seeing is believing and that's one of the biggest things
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  Speaker 3: that they've been able to do.
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  Speaker 1: I don't think there's a surprise that Carlo Osakarez can
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  Speaker 1: lead to a Rafa Hodar, that an Arthur feast can
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  Speaker 1: lead to a Kowame. When you have something to chase
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  Speaker 1: and something to strive for, it makes you better. And
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  Speaker 1: that's what's happening with Italian tennis. The first ever Italian
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  Speaker 1: semi final in a major.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's going to be great. That image we just
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  Speaker 4: showed with Bartee and Coboli. They won the Davis Cup
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: last year without Sinner and Mussetti, right, So that just
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  Speaker 4: shows the depth of the Italian tennis right now. And
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  Speaker 4: look tomorrow they're going to have a Grand Slam finalist
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  Speaker 4: at least, right, and both of these guys this match
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  Speaker 4: is going to they both have similar styles, right, just
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  Speaker 4: kind of aggressive baseliners. I think you got to give
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  Speaker 4: the edge to Koboli, but it's going to be a
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  Speaker 4: big opportunity for one of these guys, where I think
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  Speaker 4: if you would have poised this question six months ago, Hey,
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  Speaker 4: is there a chance that Arnaldi or Koboli makes it
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  Speaker 4: to a final of the French Open? You would have
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  Speaker 4: bet every doll in your bank account that the answer
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  Speaker 4: would be no, But here we are.
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  Speaker 1: I think it's also pretty fitting that the man that's
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  Speaker 1: giving over the trophy this year, the Rolling Garros Trophy Panada,
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  Speaker 1: the man who won the Rolling Garos fifty years ago
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  Speaker 1: and was the last Italian man to lift the trophy
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  Speaker 1: after roll Though he said, I expect to give it
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  Speaker 1: to Center. You might be giving it to Italian, but
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  Speaker 1: it's not, Yannick. Pretty unbelievable turn of events