Roland Garros - 04/06
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Ace Cream's daily newsletter during Masters 1000 and Grand Slams, every morning at 8:30.
Today is Thursday 4 June, in Paris it's 8:30 and it's 18 degrees. Ok, let's go.
On the menu today
- 🇮🇹 Cobolli beats Auger-Aliassime: Paris gets the first all-Italian semifinal of the Open era
- 🇮🇹 Berrettini stops, Arnaldi flies to his first Slam semifinal
- 🇷🇺 Shnaider overturns Sabalenka after being a set and a break down
- 🇵🇱 Chwalinska, from qualifying to the semifinal: the fairytale continues
- 🎾 Today the women's semifinals: Andreeva-Kostyuk and Shnaider-Chwalinska
WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY:
🇮🇹 Cobolli In The Semifinal, Italy Has Its Final
Flavio Cobolli beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4, reaching his first Slam semifinal. The Roman is the fourth Italian this century to make the last four at Roland Garros, after Cecchinato, Sinner and Musetti. More than the qualification itself, it's what comes with it that matters: after losing the opening set, the match changed direction when conditions shifted on court, and from there Cobolli found an order he never let go of again. With Arnaldi's win in the other quarterfinal, Paris will see the first all-Italian semifinal at Roland Garros in the Open era.
🇮🇹 Berrettini Stops, Arnaldi Continues
The all-Italian derby ended in the bitterest way: Matteo Berrettini retired in the second set, down 5-7 2-5, forced to stop for yet another physical problem and sent off by the Chatrier's applause with tears in his eyes. Matteo Arnaldi thus reaches the first Slam semifinal of his career, as the world number 104, and will face Cobolli. What remains is the double feeling of an evening that on one hand rewards an almost unhoped-for run and on the other leaves open, once again, the question of how much the body can hold up for a player whose talent has never been in doubt.
🇷🇺 Shnaider Overturns Sabalenka
Diana Shnaider eliminated number one Aryna Sabalenka 3-6 7-5 6-0, coming back from a set and 5-3 down, with the Belarusian two points from victory while serving at 5-4 in the second. From that moment Shnaider strung together ten games in a row, closing with a 6-0 third set that tells of more than a simple collapse. It's her first Slam semifinal and her first career win over a world number one. Matches that turn this way, on such a thin margin, often leave the doubt of whether it was decided by the courage of the one coming back or the hesitation of the one who had the door open.
🇵🇱 Chwalinska, The Qualifier's Fairytale
Maja Chwalinska beat number 22 seed Anna Kalinskaya 7-6(3) 6-3 on Chatrier, an eighth straight win on a run that began in qualifying. The world number 114 equals the best result by a qualifier at Roland Garros in the Open era, Podoroska's semifinal in 2020, and is the fourth Polish player to push this far in a Slam. Given how she has got here, match after match, this run stopped looking like a fluke a while ago, and today another test awaits her to see how far she can go.
WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:
- Andreeva vs Kostyuk (not before 15:00) - The first women's semifinal pits two different but equally convincing runs against each other: Kostyuk arrives still unbeaten on clay this season, Andreeva with the clarity shown in the previous rounds. A first Slam final is at stake for both.
- Shnaider vs Chwalinska - The second semifinal is the one of the surprises: the player who just overturned the number one against the qualifier who won't stop winning. Either way, there will be a new name in the Paris final.
Further reading
- Cobolli into the Roland Garros 2026 semifinal: Auger Aliassime beaten in 4 sets
- Roland Garros 2026, Berrettini retires in the second set: Arnaldi in a Slam semifinal for the first time
- Sabalenka knocked out by Shnaider, Paris is without rulers
- Qualifier Chwalinska defeats Kalinskaya to keep dream alive
- French Open 2026: women's semi-finals, schedule and how to watch
Enjoy your breakfast and have a great day.
See you tomorrow at 08:30 with TIE-Breakfast
