In the space of 24 hours, Flavio Cobolli competed admirably in his first Grand Slam final, then made his top-10 debut.
And he’s becoming an increasingly watchable presence in an era of potential change on the men’s tour.
Roland Garros was notable for its unusual openness in 2026. Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz did not play and world No.1 Jannik Sinner suffered a shock second-round exit. By the time Novak Djokovic was stunned by Brazilian teen star Joao Fonseca, from two-sets-to-love down in the third round, there were no major champions remaining in the draw.
Cobolli almost became that new name to break through, advancing to his first major final and coming within a set of clinching it before world No.3 Alexander Zverev prevailed in five after more than four hours on court.
Yet with his result in Paris continuing a steady upward trend, Cobolli was focused on the positives in the aftermath of defeat.
“I want to say also thanks to me for what I did in this two weeks,” Cobolli said, a sentiment reminiscent of first-time women’s champion Mirra Andreeva. “I never expect all my life this kind of result, and I'm so proud of myself.
“So now I just want to have a great smile and enjoy the night with friends, with the people that I love. It's always a final of Grand Slam, so I think in this room, no one expect a lot on me.
“So I have to be proud of myself and try and try and try again.”
Along with Cobolli’s rise, we saw the emergence of first-time major semifinalist Jakub Mensik, plus teenagers Fonseca and Rafael Jodar making their Grand Slam quarterfinal debuts.
There’s every chance Sinner will rebound strongly at Wimbledon, that 39-year-old Djokovic has another great Grand Slam run in him, and that Alcaraz will reestablish his winning ways when he eventually returns to the tour. Or, that Zverev experiences a surge of relief following his long-awaited Slam breakthrough, freeing him up to add to his tally.
Yet this Roland Garros proved there are many exciting talents emerging to ignite fan interest, and it will be fascinating to see where Cobolli – slightly older at age 24 – slots into the pecking order as the season unfolds.
Cobolli also formed part of the latest Italian wave continuing to surge through the sport. With fellow quarterfinalists Matteo Arnaldi and Matteo Berrettini, it marked the first time in the Open era that three Italian men reached the last eight at the same major.
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He and Arnaldi set up the first all-Italian men’s Grand Slam semifinal in the Open era, which due to Arnaldi’s unfortunate withdrawal, made Cobolli just the fourth Italian man to appear in a major final in the Open era, after Sinner, Berrettini and Adriano Panatta.
It was actually another Italian, Fabio Fognini, who inspired Cobolli, and you could see glimpses of his idol in Cobolli’s game – the power belying the stature, the shotmaking flair, and the love for the big stage.
Cobolli reached a first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon last year but leapfrogged that barrier at Roland Garros.
After reaching the second week without losing a set, he overcame Zachary Svajda in four, then outplayed world No.6 Felix Auger-Aliassime, also in four, to reach his first major semifinal.
Until this year, Cobolli had never won a completed match against a top-10 player. This claycourt season alone, he beat three – first Zverev, en route to the Munich final, and then Daniil Medvedev in Madrid.
And those breakthroughs followed his first ATP title on hard courts in Acapulco earlier this year.
After beginning 2026 outside the top 20, the 24-year-old has since soared to world No.10, and looks set to complete a seventh straight season with a better year-end ranking than the previous year.
“[Future success] is something that you cannot predict, but I will try. Like I said before, I will try and try and try, but when you reach the first final, why not the second?” Cobolli said.
“At the end, I think I deserve to be here on these weeks. Maybe not in the next 10, 15 Slams, but like I said also in the ceremony, I'm still young.
“So I have to do work a lot, enjoy this journey, and maybe if I work and enjoy a mix of things, maybe I will reach again the final.”