The quarterfinals conclude on Wednesday in Paris.
For the first time in the Open Era, three Italian men have reached the quarterfinals of a Major in singles. And in a big upset, none of them are named Jannik Sinner, nor are they named Lorenzo Musetti. 24-year-old Flavio Cobolli will play his second Majior quarterfinal, against fourth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime. And in a battle of Matteos,2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini takes on Major quarterfinal debutante Matteo Arnaldi.
In Wednesday’s women’s singles quarterfinals, World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka faces another Major quarterfinal debutante, Diana Shnaider. And 2024 Australian Open quarterfinalist Anna Kalinskaya goes up against another such debutante, qualifier Maja Chwalinska.
Anna Kalinskaya (22) vs. Maja Chwalinska (Q) – 11:00am on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Kalinskaya fought back multiple times in a dramatic fourth round contest with Anastasia Potapova, which saw Potapova serve for the match at 5-4 in the third, and also take an early lead in the third-set tiebreak, but Kalinskaya came back both times to prevail. The 24-year-old arrived in Paris just 13-10 on the season, and just 4-3 on clay. This has always been Anna’s weakest surface: she was previously just 1-4 lifetime at Roland Garros, and had never reached a quarterfinal in Madrid or Rome. In her only prior Major quarterfinal, over two years ago in Melbourne, Kalinskaya lost in three sets to Qinwen Zheng.
In a tournament that’s been full of surprises, Chwalinska is the most surprising quarterfinalist in the field. The 24-year-old Polish qualifier is ranked 113th in the world, and has never been ranked higher. She was also 1-2 previously in the main draw of Majors. Maja has spent most of this year, as well as most of her career, playing lower-level events. Yet she has advanced to this quarterfinal with the loss of only one set, which includes three straight-set victories in qualifying, and four further victories in this main draw. During the first week, she upset notable names such as Qinwen Zheng, Elise Mertens, and Maria Sakkari.
In their first career meeting, Kalinskaya certainly has the advantage in experience and power, while Chwalinska’s game features more guile, defense, and finesse. Kalinskaya must be considered the favorite based solely on experience, but we have seen some shocking WTA semifinalists at this tournament in recent years, including Lois Boisson in 2025, Martina Trevisan in 2022, Tamara Zidansek in 2021, and Nadia Podoroska in 2020. So the idea of Chwalinska reaching the semifinals is far from unprecedented.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs. Diana Shnaider (25) – Second on Court Philippe-Chatrier
With other favorites such as Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Elina Svitolina eliminated from this tournament, Sabalenka is now the clear favorite to win this title. She’s 31-3 this year, and has not dropped a set through four rounds. However, she’ll certainly be feeling pressure as the clear favorite, and she is yet to win a Major played on anything but a hard court.
Shnaider had a breakout season back in 2024, when she collected four WTA titles on three different surfaces. But she suffered from the dreaded “Sophomore Slump” during 2025, and missed some action earlier this season due to injury. Diana was just 11-6 on the year prior to this fortnight, so this result came out of nowhere. She’s lost one set to this stage, which came in the last round against Madison Keys, though Shnaider thumped Keys in the third set by a score of 6-0.
This is another first-time encounter in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. Sabalenka should comfortably be able to dictate play, with a decisive advantage in serve and groundstroke power. And with a ridiculously good record of 14-1 in Major quarterfinals, the top seed should advance.
Felix Auger-Aliassime (4) vs. Flavio Cobolli (10) – Third on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Auger-Aliassime has now completed his collection of Major quarterfinals by achieving his first one in Paris. He was previously just 6-6 at this event, and the 25-year-old has never won a clay court title in his career. But after winning a fifth-set tiebreak in his opening round, followed by a pair of four-setters, Auger-Aliassime won his fourth round match in straights. He’s now the highest seed remaining in this half of the draw, and owns a record of 2-2 in Major quarterfinals.
Cobolli’s only prior Major quarterfinals came 11 months ago at Wimbledon, when he lost in four sets to Novak Djokovic. Yet unlike most of the other ATP quarterfinalists, the 24-year-old has advanced without playing a five-setter, losing just one set. And this is not his first good clay court result of the season, as Cobolli was a finalist in Munich, and a quarterfinalist in Madrid, with victories during this clay season over the likes of Zverev and Medvedev.
These players have met twice, with both matches taking place on hard courts during 2024, and both going to the Italian. Cobolli won in three sets in Acapulco, and in two sets in Canada. However, he is lacking experience in winning matches of this caliber, and in a matchup between two players with similar styles, that may become the deciding factor.
Matteo Berrettini vs. Matteo Arnaldi – Not Before 8:15pm on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Berrettini came into this tournament with a losing record on the year. And he hadn’t appeared in this draw since 2021, when he was a quarterfinalist. But the oft-injured 30-year-old is enjoying his best run at a Major since 2022. It has highlighted by a third round victory via an extended fifth-set tiebreak, in which he saved multiple match points. Berrettini then defeated the Sinner conqueror, Juan Manuel Cerundolo, in straights.
Arnaldi spent considerably more time on court in the last round, playing for almost five-and-a-half-hours, and well past 1:00am, in an exhilarating match against Frances Tiafoe. The 25-year-old was down two-sets-to-one and two breaks in the fourth set, yet came all the way back to win 6-4 in the fifth. He somehow managed that epic comeback just two days after playing another grueling five-setter against Raphael Collignon, which went all the way to a fifth-set tiebreak. Arnaldi also played a pair of four-setters to start this event, so he’s spent more time on court than anyone during this fortnight.
In this first career meeting between the Italian Matteos, the fresher and more experienced Berrettini is the favorite. As wildly impressive as Arnaldi’s fight and composure have been, it’s hard to imagine he has much left in the tank at this point. And Berrettini’s formidable serve gives him a crucial edge.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
