Flavio Cobolli upset world No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-3 to reach the BMW Open final in Munich but broke down in tears afterward. The 23-year-old Italian learned of the death of his 13-year-old friend Mattia, with whom he trained at Tennis Club Parioli in Rome. Cobolli dedicated the victory to Mattia in an emotional social media post.
Cobolli dispatched Zverev, the home favorite, in just 69 minutes on Saturday, securing his first complete win over a top-five opponent and advancing to the final against Ben Shelton. Instead of celebrating, the Italian collapsed at his bench in tears. The grief stemmed from news received the previous day that Mattia had died after falling from a window at his home in Rome, 600 miles away. Cobolli had trained with the boy at the club where his own tennis journey began. The player shared photos from right after the match on social media, captioning them: “A special win today. Not just for tennis, but for something bigger. Thinking of Mattia, a young boy from my club in Parioli. This one is for you.” In a longer message, he wrote, “Every point that I play, every ball that I touch, every step that I take, I will think of you, I will play for you, and I will carry you with me wherever I go. ... I love you so much, little Mattia.” Reflecting on the match, Cobolli called it “one of my best matches ever, against one of my best friends on tour.” Zverev and his team are close with the Italian. This marks Cobolli's second final of the season, following his Mexican Open title over a month ago, and his first victory against a top-10 player who did not retire. Shelton awaits in Sunday's final. Cobolli won their first two meetings in 2024, but Shelton took the last three.
