Italian tennis player Flavio Cobolli secured a spot in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Wednesday following a straight-sets victory over Australian Alex de Minaur. Cobolli, seeded ninth, won 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 in a match on No. 1 Court that was interrupted twice due to spectators fainting amid soaring temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.
The 24-year-old Cobolli, who earned £480,000 in prize money with the win, celebrated his success by performing footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature ‘Siuuu’ celebration on the grass before addressing the crowd with an unusual request. Despite making it to the quarter-finals for the second consecutive year, Cobolli revealed that he and his team had yet to secure local accommodation for the remainder of the tournament and asked fans for help finding a place to stay in Wimbledon.
“Every day for me is ice cream and pasta. My dad cooks pasta with tomato and onion,” Cobolli said. “I don’t know. Maybe we’ll eat here. There is a World Cup on. I want to see Spain versus Portugal. I hope that I can go early to the house. But first we have to find one because actually we don’t have a house. Maybe you guys have a house here in Wimbledon?”
Cobolli acknowledged the challenging conditions on the day, emphasizing the importance of conserving energy for the upcoming rounds. “I’ve been feeling tired. I am very happy to reach the quarter-finals in three sets because it’s very important to save energy for the next round. This is so hot. We saw in the crowd. So thanks for coming. I’m so happy and proud of myself.”
De Minaur, visibly disappointed, spoke about the emotional toll of the loss, which was observed by his fiancée, British No. 2 Katie Boulter. “This loss breaks me inside. That’s the reality of it,” de Minaur said. “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. It’s tough.”
Cobolli’s advance maintains his strong showing at Wimbledon, while de Minaur faces an early exit despite a hard-fought effort in challenging conditions.