Matteo Arnaldi advances after Berrettini retirement

Matteo Arnaldi moved into his first Grand Slam semifinal on Wednesday, June 3, after Matteo Berrettini retired injured during their French Open quarterfinal in Paris. ATP Tour said Arnaldi was leading 7-5, 5-2 when Berrettini stopped after 1 hour and 40 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The win put the 25-year-old Italian into the last four at Roland-Garros for the first time. It also ended Berrettini’s deepest run at a major since the 2022 U.S. Open, according to ATP Tour. ### When did the match turn? Berrettini opened strongly on Wednesday evening and took an immediate double-break lead in the first set, ATP Tour reported. The match shifted after Berrettini began feeling pain in his left hip early in the middle of the opening set, according to ATP Tour’s match report. Arnaldi recovered to take the first set 7-5 and then moved ahead 5-2 in the second before Berrettini retired. (atptour.com) The ATP Tour said Berrettini was unable to move well enough to continue competing. In a separate ATP Tour report after the match, Berrettini said: “I’m the last one that wants to retire.” He added that after the first few games, “it was impossible to continue.” ### What did Arnaldi say after reaching the last four? Arnaldi’s advancement gave him a maiden major semifinal, ATP Tour said. (atptour.com) ATP Tour’s results roundup listed him among the two Italians who advanced to the men’s semifinals in Paris on June 3. That marked a breakthrough moment for a player who entered the tournament outside the top tier and had already matched his best Roland-Garros run by reaching the second week. (atptour.com) ATP Tour identified Arnaldi as the No. 104 player in the PIF ATP Rankings in a profile published earlier in the tournament. That profile said he had won an ATP Challenger 175 event in Italy and reached the third round in Rome before arriving in Paris. ### How significant was Berrettini’s run before the injury? Berrettini had reached his first major quarterfinal since the 2022 U.S. (atptour.com) Open, ATP Tour said. The former top-10 player had come through a five-set third-round match against Francisco Comesana on May 30, saving two match points in a contest that lasted more than five hours. That run had put Berrettini back into the late stages of a Grand Slam after a stretch interrupted by injuries. (atptour.com) ATP Tour described his Roland-Garros campaign as a resurgent tournament before it ended in retirement against Arnaldi. ### Who does Arnaldi play next in Paris? The men’s semifinal lineup changed from the preliminary card details: ATP Tour’s June 3 results page said Arnaldi will face fellow Italian Flavio Cobolli in the semifinals, not Alexander Zverev. (atptour.com) Olympics.com’s men’s semifinal schedule also listed Arnaldi against Cobolli and Zverev against Jakub Mensik, with times still to be confirmed for Friday, June 5. Roland-Garros will stage the men’s singles final on Sunday, June 7, according to Olympics.com’s tournament schedule pages. Friday’s semifinal winners will advance to that championship match on Court Philippe-Chatrier. (olympics.com) (atptour.com)