A change in surface has done nothing to put out Flavio Cobolli’s hot streak.
Cobolli, who finished runner-up at the French Open last month and also reached a final on the red clay of Munich, is now flourishing on grass. The world No. 10 is into the Wimbledon quarterfinals for a second straight summer after beating Alex de Minaur 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3 during fourth-round action on Monday.
“I feel great,” Cobolli said during his post-match press conference. “(It) was an incredible match for me. From my side I think I played one of [my] best matches ever, especially on this surface that is always tough to play (on). But today I found a way to have a high level for all (of) the match.
“I’m really proud and happy to reach the second quarterfinal in a row here in Wimbledon, That means a lot for me. It’s always special to have a chance to play another match here. Today I played for [the] first time here on Court No. 1. The feeling with the court was incredible. I love to play there. The sound was amazing, amazing feeling with the ball.”
It was a much different story for De Minaur De Minaur, who was left ruing yet another missed opportunity at a major. The 27-year-old has never reached a Grand Slam semifinal. He was still two rounds away from accomplishing that feat in SW19, but it looked entirely within reach in a wide-open quarter of the bracket. Instead, De Minaur exited in the fourth round in straight sets.
“It breaks me inside,” the sixth-ranked Aussie said about his inability to step up at the key moments — in this case specifically in the first and second sets. “That’s the reality of it. Many, many hours get put into my craft, and countless years to kind of have moments like these. To not step up to the plate, it’s truly gut-wrenching. Yeah, it’s very tough.
“Flavio — credit to him — stepped up to the plate, especially in the big moments, came up with some big shots, and that was the difference.
“How do you explain it? Just not good enough mentally. That’s how you explain it.”
Taylor Fritz and Arthur Fery also advanced on Monday. Cobolli will go up against Fery in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, while Fritz awaits either Alexander Zverev or Jiri Lehecka. Zverev currently leads that match two sets to love.
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.