Flavio Cobolli admitted he almost cried after reaching his maiden Roland Garros final. The Italian made it to the summit clash on Friday after his compatriot Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from semifinals due to illness.

After making it to his first Slam final, Cobolli has confirmed himself a Top 10 spot in the PIF ATP rankings. The Italian said he had mixed emotions after Arnaldi decided to withdrew.

“It’s tough for me to speak now,” Cobolli said in a press conference in Paris on Friday evening. “When he [Arnaldi] came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried. It’s something that you don’t expect at all. I was ready to play this match. When he came, I was completely sad for him.

“But, at the same time, of course I’m really happy with the result that I reached this week. My dad also came to me right before him, and we had a big hug together with the whole team for achieving the Top 10. Every time that I make the best ranking, we all together have a big hug. We did the same routine as always. Now I’m sad and happy at the same time.”

Cobolli was all praise for Matteo Arnaldi, who had a super run at the French Open, making his first slam semifinals.

“Matteo is a big inspiration for all of us,” Cobolli said. “He’s an amazing player and an amazing professional. I think the best person outside the court for how he makes things, preparation of the match, focus, cooldown. He’s one of the best on the Tour, for sure.

“He deserves the result this week. He got injured last season and the beginning of this one. We all knew about his level. Everyone expects this result from him. His tennis is amazing. I wish him all the best for the future.”

Cobolli will face three-time Major finalist Alexander Zverev in the final on Sunday.