When Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Arnaldi play Roland Garros and where to see them on TV (including free-to-air)
Appointment with Italian tennis history on Friday at Roland Garros: on the Philippe-Chatrier center court, Matteo Arnaldi and Flavio Cobolli take the court no earlier than 7 p.m., playing for a place in the final of the Paris Slam tournament.
The Ligurian tennis player has accumulated an impressive 20 match hours so far, an all-time record for the Open Era: on his way he has eliminated Griekspoor, Tsitsipas, Collignon, Tiafoe and Berrettini, reaching the fifth set on two occasions. Cobolli, who is about to enter the Top 10 of the ATP rankings and is the eve’s favorite, has eliminated Pellegrino, Wu Yibing, Tien, Svajda and Auger-Aliassime, losing only two sets so far.
The two have faced each other twice in their careers on the ATP circuit, with one win on each side: Arnaldi won in Umag in 2023, Cobolli in the most recent match, just at Roland Garros 2025, in four sets. They had previously faced each other in Challengers, with two wins by Arnaldi against one by Cobolli. The match will be broadcast on Eurosport channels, available both on TV and streaming on DAZN, Discovery+, HBO Max, TimVision and Prime Video Channels platforms. The all-Italian semifinal will also be exceptionally broadcast free-to-air: appointment at 7 p.m. on channel Nove.
Arnaldi’s path is one that has the resounding, considering that just a month ago the Ligurian was engaged in a Challenger in Cagliari. From number 104 in the ATP ranking on the eve of the tournament, the San Remo tennis player will make a resounding leap in the rankings from Monday, entering at least the world top 40. “I can’t believe it,” admitted Arnaldi himself, who also stressed the emotional significance of this Paris adventure: “The first Grand Slam semifinal? A month ago I was playing the Challenger in Cagliari. I have always loved this tournament and this audience, it is a great pleasure to be here. The match with Flavio will be fun and hopefully it can be a great match to watch.”
Cobolli, for his part, reached the semifinals by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in a comeback with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, in a match affected by wind in the first set. “In the first set it was so windy and it was difficult to play,” explained the Roman. “I went to the bathroom to think, to try to change something. I told myself to fight because I thought it was the chance of my life. I made it and I am happy.”
