ATP Tour

Cobolli downs De Minaur, reaches 2nd straight Wimbledon QF as rise continues

Flavio Cobolli’s stunning rise shows no signs of slowing. The Italian on Monday further underlined his big-stage presence by overcoming Alex de Minaur to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year.

In the first men’s singles meeting between two Top-10 players at this year’s Championships, Cobolli produced a composed display to earn an impressive 7-5, 7-6(4) 6-3 fourth-round victory. With his two-hour, 34-minute win, the 24-year-old became just the third Italian man, after Nicola Pietrangeli and Jannik Sinner, to reach multiple Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Cobolli, who reached his first major final at Roland Garros last month, is continuing his rise with another deep run at Wimbledon. The World No. 10 will next face the last remaining Briton, Arthur Fery, for a place in the semi-finals in southwest London.

Under the blazing London sun, Cobolli kept his cool. Despite De Minaur holding a break advantage in both the second and third sets, the Italian repeatedly wrestled back control of the longer exchanges, using his weight of shot, sharp angles and fearless ballstriking to wear down the resilient Australian.

Cobolli has now compiled a 27-14 tour-level record in 2026, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, capping a remarkable turnaround after a difficult start to the year. The Italian arrived at the Australian Open as World No. 20 but suffered a shock first-round defeat to then-World No. 186 Fery.

Bouncing back, Cobolli reached the semi-finals in Delray Beach before lifting his third ATP Tour title in Acapulco to kick-start his climb. During the European clay swing, Cobolli then advanced to the final in Munich and the quarters in Madrid, but it all came together at Roland Garros, where he surged to his first major final before falling to Alexander Zverev.

"Everyone talks about the season, where I have to improve, something like that," Cobolli said in his post-match press conference. "It wasn't easy to find the right way to play really calm and just play tennis. At the end, I wait for a good result that maybe changes something. It did it.

"In Acapulco I was really happy with my level. I found the way to hang on to that feeling. From there, I think I played a good tennis for all the weeks. Sometimes I'm tired. Sometimes maybe I play a lot. So now I have to find the best solution for me to play always at 100 per cent."

Having lost to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon quarter-finals a year ago, Cobolli has returned to SW19 looking every bit a more complete player. He now has the opportunity to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final, where a potential meeting with World No. 3 Zverev could await.

With his run to the last eight at The All England Club, Cobolli has risen one spot to No. 9 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, but the 24-year-old could climb even higher should he continue his stellar campaign.