Flavio Cobolli, the fifth seed at the U.S. Open, mounted a significant comeback Tuesday to avoid an early upset, defeating unseeded Francisco Comesana 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in a match that lasted over three hours. The victory propelled Cobolli into the next round of the tournament, which has seen other top contenders depart or face challenges.
Cobolli, who entered the U.S. Open having recently cracked the top 10 for the first time, had not previously won a match after being down two sets. The match, played in a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium, was delayed on outside courts due to rain, with roars echoing as Cobolli began his rally. He acknowledged feeling the pressure but expressed a desire to use it as a positive force.
"I feel the pressure, but is something that I will want to use as a friend, you know," Cobolli said after the match. "I always love to play where the pressure is high. So something that I’m not usual to do, but I’m trying to be more comfortable when I do. So now I feel good when I’m on court like this, when the court is full, when the crowd is for my opponent. So I’m trying to be more calm as possible. I don’t know if you guys, you can see that I’m very calm, but I’m trying to do something different from the past."
The 24-year-old Italian is considered one of the emerging faces in men's singles, particularly in a draw that has seen Novak Djokovic eliminated and Jannik Sinner absent. Before his singles match, Cobolli and his mixed doubles partner Belinda Bencic had reached the final of their tournament, notably defeating the pairing of Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz. Cobolli was also a featured participant in the 'Stars of the Open' exhibition events leading up to the main tournament.
"It was really tough to start the match," Cobolli commented on his first-round singles performance. "Especially because we played on Armstrong that is very big and very loud, like everybody saw. But I’m still happy with the performance."
In other U.S. Open news, Elena Rybakina, a contender for the women's No. 1 ranking, revealed she had been managing an Achilles tendon injury sustained at the Cincinnati Open. Rybakina stated that she had been taking her participation day by day and had not practiced for a full week prior to the tournament.