Flavio Cobolli joked that his immediate focus was not on his Wimbledon quarter-final opponent but on watching Portugal take on Spain with his father after booking his place in the last eight on Monday. The Italian ninth seed defeated Australia’s Alex de Minaur 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3 in a composed display on Court One to reach a second successive Wimbledon quarter-final.
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The victory continued the best Grand Slam season of Cobolli’s career, coming just weeks after his runner-up finish at the French Open and reinforcing his rise among the ATP Tour’s elite.
“I’ve been feeling tired on the tour, so I’m very happy to reach the quarter-finals in three sets, because it’s important to stay with energy for the next round,” Cobolli said after the match. “This year has been so hot, we saw in the crowd people struggling. Thanks for coming today. Thanks for staying. I appreciate it a lot. I’m so happy and proud of myself.”
Asked whether he would watch the winner of the fourth-round clash between Arthur Fery and Grigor Dimitrov, Cobolli had a different plan in mind. “I won’t watch it for sure. Like you every day, ice cream, and my dad will cook pasta with tomato and onion,” he said with a smile. “I don’t know, maybe we’ll hit here. There’s a workout. I want to watch Spain and Portugal.”
Cobolli’s victory was built on composure in difficult conditions as soaring temperatures led to multiple stoppages in play after spectators required medical attention. The 24-year-old also shared a light-hearted exchange with De Minaur during one of the interruptions, highlighting the mutual respect between the two players despite the high stakes.
After clinching match point, Cobolli broke into Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic “SIUUU” celebration, delighting the crowd as he celebrated reaching a second consecutive Wimbledon quarter-final.
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COBOLLLI POWERS 5TH SEED DE MINAUR
Cobolli made the decisive move in the opening set by breaking De Minaur in the 11th game after forcing a backhand error before serving out the set in 50 minutes.
The Australian then looked set to level the match after racing into a 5-2 lead in the second set, but Cobolli staged a remarkable comeback, winning three straight games before taking control of the tie-break to move two sets ahead.
The Italian’s aggressive baseline game continued to trouble De Minaur in the third set. After falling 0-2 behind, Cobolli broke back in the sixth game and maintained control, eventually sealing the win with a powerful serve down the middle that the Australian could not return.
Throughout the contest, Cobolli repeatedly found answers to De Minaur’s renowned defensive skills. He produced several stunning forehand winners, converted crucial break points at key moments and showed remarkable composure while serving out the match. He shrugged off a late double fault by responding with two blistering forehands to earn match points before closing out victory in style.
Cobolli will now face the winner of the fourth-round match between Britain’s Arthur Fery and Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, with a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals at stake.
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