"Félix is a tough opponent," Arnaldi savors his stunning comeback win against Auger-Aliassime

Matteo Arnaldi secured one of the marathon matches of this early Roland-Garros fortnight. Ranked 36th in the world, the Italian overcame Félix Auger-Aliassime in five sets after trailing two sets to love (5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in 4h21) and advanced to the second round, where he will face his compatriot Flavio Cobolli, who defeated Marin Cilic (6-2, 6-1, 6-3). Speaking to Super Tennis, Arnaldi reflected on his victory against the Canadian and looked ahead to his next match.

"It was a strange match. Félix (Auger-Aliassime) is a tough opponent, and he started very well. On my side, I couldn’t produce my best tennis early on—I had a slight shoulder issue and was struggling with my serve.

I couldn’t express myself, I wasn’t attacking, and I was constantly under pressure. At the end of the second set, I stepped off the court and told myself to reset, to play my game.

From that moment on, my attitude improved, and slowly, I clawed my way back. I always believed that if I could regain my best rhythm, I’d be able to turn the match around. That mindset helped me win.

Flavio (Cobolli) is playing very well. He just won the Hamburg tournament. So, needless to say, it’s going to be a really tough match," said the 24-year-old Arnaldi ahead of this all-Italian clash in the next round.