Italy's Flavio Cobolli defeated Zachary Svajda of the United States in four sets on Monday to reach his first grand slam quarter-final at Roland Garros. The 10th seed nearly squandered a 5-1 lead in the fourth set but recovered to win a tense tie-break, later admitting: 'I almost shit on my pants.'
Seeds falter as draw opens up
The French Open men's draw has been turned on its head following the early exits of top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic, ensuring a first-time major winner will be crowned. Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion, is absent due to a wrist injury, leaving the field wide open.
Tension has been palpable, especially in the top half of the draw vacated by Sinner, where seeds have collapsed. Only Félix Auger-Aliassime (4) and Flavio Cobolli (10) remain seeded players in that half. Matteo Berrettini, a former grand slam finalist, is also still in contention after battling back from injuries.
Epic five-set battles
On Saturday, five of eight matches went to five sets, including several that lasted over five hours. Frances Tiafoe, the 19th seed, recovered from two sets down against qualifier Jaime Faria to win his second consecutive five-setter. 'Second time in my career I've come back from two sets to love down,' Tiafoe said. 'Definitely the biggest time I'll ever do it, considering, right?' He later lost in five sets to unseeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi.
Madison Keys, waiting over five hours for her match after Berrettini's marathon win, commented on the men's anxiety: 'I think we've seen in the men's scores that they're all really worried about who is going to be in the finals and not on the match today.'
Auger-Aliassime advances
Félix Auger-Aliassime cruised past Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 to reach his first Roland Garros quarter-final. The Canadian, who speaks French, appealed to the Paris crowd: 'I'm not French but I'm very Francophone and I'm sure I can count on your support all the way to the end. I feel as if I'm at home.'
He will face Cobolli in the quarter-finals. The winner will have a golden opportunity to reach the final, with no top seeds remaining in their half.
History awaits
For the remaining men, Sunday's final will be the most significant moment of their careers. As Tiafoe put it: 'I was telling some of my homies, it's fun to be a part of, man. You're a part of history, however you want to look at it, right. Whether you get it done or not, you're part of history.'
