Berettini will face No. 5 Alex de Minaur of Australia in the quarterfinals. “I feel so sorry for him,” Berretini said. “I have been in that situation many times, maybe too many times, that’s why I got excited. I know how difficult it can be, I know how much he wants to be in Turin and the last thing you want is to get injured a few weeks before. I hope it’s nothing serious.”
I remember his eyes, which are the same eyes he has now. the kid who dreamed of playing on the biggest stages.
The timing could hardly be worse for Cobolli, who is chasing a first appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. The world No. 6 has 3,690 points in the qualifying spots for the Turin race. Retiring does not cost him any of the points he has earned. The danger is ahead. the extent of the injury will be assessed “in the coming hours”.
Three goals are at stake for the vice-champion of “Roland Garos”. Final in Turin; and the Davis Cup final in Bologna. The injury that keeps him out of Paris will also deny him the chance to add points and secure his place.
Berettini took a 4-2 lead, then again at 5-2. When Cobolli went out to serve to stay on set, he broke down and was unable to continue. Berettini immediately went to him, hugged him and stayed with him until he left the court. It was both a sad and magnificent moment, and a gesture that was widely praised.
For Berettini, the night was about much more than a place in the last eight. “The idea today was just to get out on the court and celebrate the journey we’ve both been on since Rome as two little kids playing tennis on the weekend,” he said.
He went even further. “I remember him and I remember the day he chose to play tennis instead of football. I remember his eyes, which are the same eyes he has now; the kid who dreamed of playing on the biggest stages.”
“I think he deserves to be there and I think he deserves the career he’s had so far, so I just wish him the best,” Berretini added.
The 43rd-ranked Berettini opened his week with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etchvery. Kobolli needed three sets to overcome Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round.
A run to Turin after Thursday’s matches
| # | Player: | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: | Alexander Zverev Qualified · Vienna QF |
9240 | |
| 2: | Jannik Sinner: Out for the season |
7950 | |
| 3: | Carlos Alcaraz Qualified · Vienna QF |
4700 | |
| 4: | Ben Shelton Qualified · Basel 2R |
4520 | |
| 5:00 | Daniil Medvedev ▲1: Vienna QF: |
3710 | |
| 6:00 | Flavio Cobolli ▼1: Outside of Vienna |
3680 | |
| 7:00 | Arthur son Basel QF |
3525 | |
| 8 o’clock | Francis Tiafoe Outside of Vienna |
3,380 | |
| 9:00 | Rafael Jodar Outside of Basel |
3184: | |
| Last place: 9th, 3184 | |||
| 10:00 | Alex de Minaur Vienna QF: |
2930: | |
| 11:00 | Novak Djokovic Outside of Basel |
2890 | |
| 12:00 | Taylor Fritz Basel QF |
2785 | |
| 13:00 | Tommy Paul Vienna QF: |
2725 | |
PIF ATP Direct race to Turin, points from January 1, after Thursday’s second-round matches in Vienna and Basel (Shelton match still to be played). Zverev, Alcaraz and Shelton qualified. Sinner is out for the season, so ninth place is last place.
