Italian Tennis Renaissance Sends Two Unseeded Players into the Fourth Round of the French Open

Unseeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi delivered the biggest upset yet on the men’s side of the French Open, defeating No. 7 seed and World No. 6 Andrey Rublev in straight sets today, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4, following his compatriot Elisabetta Cocciaretto’s upset of the No. 17 seed Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(4), 6-2 on the same court.

Matteo Arnaldi and Elisabetta Cocciaretto shine on Court Suzanne Lenglen

Rublev’s frustration with his level was evident as he yelled, kicked a bench, and hit himself with his racquet at various points throughout the match. On the other side of the net, Arnaldi kept his head down and played aggressive and inspired tennis to seal the victory, hitting 50 winners over the three sets played.

“I was playing really good,” Arnaldi mused in an interview with Tennis TV after the match. “I think I played the best tennis for my life. I wasn’t even expecting this.”

Italian Men and Women Drawing Inspiration from Each Other

After the win, Marion Bartoli asked Arnaldi during his on-court interview whether he was inspired by Cocciaretto’s win earlier in the day.

“Yes, it gives you a little a push, because we grew up together, we’ve known each other since we were 11 or 12 years old,” said the 23-year-old Arnaldi. “And to see the others –Jannik, Lorenzo, Luciano all of them – succeed, you want to do the same. It gives you a little push. A little confidence to go on court and do a little more and right now is maybe working. Today it’s working.”

Arnaldi will face former Roland Garros finalist and World No. 9 Stefanos Tsitsipas in his fourth-round match. This is only Arnaldi’s second year playing at Roland Garros. He made his ATP main draw debut in 2022 in Rome and has been on an upward trajectory since. Arnaldi was instrumental in clinching the Davis Cup Championship for Italy in 2023, defeating Australia’s Alexi Poprin in a thrilling three-set match during the final.

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Cocciaretto: “Italians, we were born on clay!”

Cocciaretto is currently ranked No. 51 in the world, though she reached a career-high No. 29 in 2023. This was her second defeat of a top-20 player this tournament, having bested the No. 13 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round.

In her post-match press conference Cocciaretto was asked if she takes inspiration from other Italian women such as former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, former finalist Sara Errani, and semifinalist Martina Trevisan.

“For sure, I was watching them on TV, but Italians, we were born on clay. For us, it is our surface. It gives me confidence that I can do like them, but everyone has his own journal,” said Cocciaretto. “I am enjoying mine and will keep improving.”

This will be Cocciaretto’s first time among the last 16 at Roland Garros; in 2023, she advanced to the third round. She will face in-form Coco Gauff – a former finalist here and one of the favorites for the title.

“For sure will be a very, very tough match,” she said. “I will enjoy the match, but try to be aggressive and do my game and fight for every point.”

Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports