Italian trio poised for semi-final charge at Roland Garros

PARIS, June 2 : French Open quarter-final action continues on Wednesday with world number one Aryna Sabalenka looking to reach the last four for the third time while three Italians feature in the men's draw.

TOP MEN'S MATCH: MATTEO BERRETTINI V MATTEO ARNALDI

Three Italians have reached the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam for the first time in the Open Era but nobody expected top seed Jannik Sinner to be the one to miss out when he was expected to lead the charge before his shock second-round exit.

While Flavio Cobolli faces Felix Auger-Aliassime in one quarter-final, the main attraction on Court Philippe Chatrier will be an all-Italian showdown between two Matteos - the old warhorse Berrettini and the rising star Arnaldi.

For Berrettini, reaching his first Roland Garros quarter-final since 2021 represents a sweet return after missing the last four editions due to injury setbacks that threatened to derail his career.

"It does make it sweeter, because I actually remember now how sad I was ... I'm not surprised, but I just proved to myself, once again, that I could do it, that even in the toughest moment I just found the energy," Berrettini said.

On the other side of the net is his compatriot Arnaldi, who has epitomised resilience by spending a jaw-dropping 17 hours and 42 minutes on court across four rounds while repeatedly clawing his way back from the brink of defeat.

The 25-year-old's marathon run included a gruelling five hours and 26 minutes victory over Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round, where he battled back from two breaks down in the fourth set in what he described as "the best match I ever played."

"Everybody's playing unbelievable tennis. So it's just good for the sport. It's just good for Italian tennis," Berrettini