Cobolli through to French Open final as Arnaldi withdraws with virus

Matteo Arnaldi looked peaky when he talked to the media about pulling out of the French Open

>Italy's Matteo Arnaldi says withdrawing from his first Grand Slam semi-final through illness is an experience he would "not wish on anybody".

>Arnaldi, 25, was due to play his close friend Flavio Cobolli in the French Open last four on Friday, but pulled out shortly before the match because of a virus.

>The announcement was made at about 17:35 BST, 25 minutes before the Italian pair were due to walk out on court in Paris.

>"I tried to see if I could get on court but every time I get up I feel dizzy. It was the right decision to take," said 104th-ranked Arnaldi, who had never previously gone past the fourth round of a major.

>"I just know I can't move, I can't eat and I can't drink - there was no way I was able to play."

>Cobolli, 24, will play German second seed and title favourite Alexander Zverev - who beat Jakub Mensik - in his first major final on Sunday.

>"It is so, so tough. When he came to see me, I almost cried," said 10th seed Cobolli.

>Cobolli (left) and Arnaldi sat well apart in their news conference

>The two players appeared together at a news conference within minutes of Arnaldi's withdrawal being announced.

>In order to avoid Cobolli getting ill, the pair cautiously sat at opposite ends of the interview table.

>Arnaldi described how he became ill on Thursday night, waking up with stomach ache at about 1am.

>He said he began vomiting and was unable to sleep before calling a doctor to his room in the morning.

>"It's difficult to be here - this is not want I wanted to do," Arnaldi said.

>"I hoped it was something from dinner but throughout the day I couldn't eat or drink and kept going to the bathroom.

>"Withdrawing from a first Grand Slam semi-final is not what you wish to anybody."

>Arnaldi had spent 19 hours and 42 minutes on court en route to the semi-finals in Paris - the longest anyone has played on their way to the last four of a major since 1991.

>Arnaldi apologised to the 15,000 fans, with the majority having already arrived at Roland Garros for the match.

>Ticket-holders will receive a full refund, French Open organisers said.

>"I feel sorry for everyone who came to watch," added Arnaldi.

>In place of the cancelled match, Cobolli held a practice session on Court Philippe Chatrier in front of thousands of fans who remained.

>A player pulling out of a Grand Slam semi-final is highly unusual - even more so when it happens about an hour before the match is due to begin.

>Arnaldi's withdrawal is only the third time a Grand Slam men's singles semi-final has ended in a walkover since the Open era began in 1968.

>The most recent example came when Rafael Nadal decided he was not able to take on Nick Kyrgios in their Wimbledon semi-final four years ago.

>Nadal had battled through the pain of an abdominal injury to beat Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals, then announced the following day - 24 hours before the semi-final - he was unable to play Kyrgios.

>The other occasion came when Richard Krajicek was not fit enough to play Jim Courier at the Australian Open in 1992.

>Courier later remembered, external he was told about Krajicek's decision about an hour before the match - very similar to when Arnaldi told Cobolli.

>When the PA system in the French Open media centre clicked into life on Friday evening, it was immediately obvious a big story was about to break.

>A hush instantly descended among the hundreds of journalists before it was announced, firstly in French and then English, that Arnaldi was withdrawing.

>Within 10 minutes, Arnaldi and Cobolli - close friends who have known each other since they were about 10 years old - appeared together in the main interview room.

>Arnaldi looked visibly peaky - with a pale and weary complexion - while Cobolli was equally as subdued.

>This was not the way either man wanted their semi-final day to pan out.