Cobolli wins from two sets down for the first time in his career, at the ninth attempt

Flavio Cobolli had trailed by two sets at a Grand Slam eight times and lost every one of them. On Tuesday evening at Flushing Meadows, under a roof closed by rain and in front of a full house, he made it nine attempts and one win, beating Argentine Francisco Comesana 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in four hours and 12 minutes to reach the second round of the US Open.

He plays the winner between American qualifier Nishesh Basavareddy and Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate.

The Italian No. 5 seed dropped to his knees at the end and cupped a hand to his ear.

Comesana had the credentials to make it stand up. The Argentine was seeking his third top-10 win and his second at a major, having beaten Andrey Rublev, then ranked No. 6, at Wimbledon in 2024 on his Grand Slam main-draw debut.

For two sets he was the better player, and then the tie turned into an endurance question Cobolli had never previously answered.

A season that keeps asking him to hold on

The win was his 32nd of 2026, a year in which he reached the Roland-Garros final, losing to Alexander Zverev, and the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters 1000, where Arthur Fils beat him 6-3, 6-4.

This is his third US Open main draw and he has now reached the second round in all three.

US Open 2026, men’s daw, 1st round

A. Zverev [1] vs L. Sonego – not played
Q. Halys d. F. Diaz Acosta: 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-1
A. Popyrin d. G. Dimitrov (Q): 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
A. Tabilo [25] d. Y. Hanfmann: 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-3
L. Darderi [21] d. H. Wendelken (Q): 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
D. Svrcina (Q) d. V. Royer: 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 6-2
D. Sweeny (W) vs C. Moutet – not played
A. Fery vs L. Musetti [13] – not played
R. Jodar [12] vs T. Kokkinakis – not played
F. Marozsan vs M. Zheng (W) – not played
Z. Svajda vs D. Altmaier – not played
J. Cerundolo vs A. Gea (L) – not played
Z. Bergs [31] vs C. Taberner – not played
J. De Jong vs F. Passaro (Q) – not played
J. Choinski vs B. Van de Zandschulp – not played
A. Guerrieri (Q) vs A. De Minaur [6] – not played
F. Auger-Aliassime [3] d. R. Hijikata: 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
K. Khachanov d. R. Burruchaga: 6-3, 6-0, 6-1
A. Molcan vs B. Bonzi – not played
M. Giron vs I. Buse [32] – not played
J. Mensik [17] d. S. Mochizuki (L): 6-1, 6-4, 7-5
J. Rodionov (Q) d. G. Mpetshi Perricard: 7-6(2), 6-0, 7-6(4)
A. Vallejo vs G. Monfils (W) – not played
L. Tien [14] d. N. Borges: 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
T. Fritz [9] vs D. Blanch (W): 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
M. Bellucci vs Z. Piros (Q) – not played
C. Ugo Carabelli vs J.L. Struff – not played
F. Misolic vs F. Cerundolo [24] – not played
A. Blockx [28] d. T. Barrios Vera (Q): 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
M. Trungelliti d. J. Shang: 0-6, 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
N. Basavareddy (Q) vs T. Schoolkate (Q) – not played
F. Cobolli [5] vs F. Comesana: 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
D. Medvedev [7] d. H. Gaston (Q): 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
S. Gorzny (W) d. R. Collignon: 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(9)
J. Munar d. T. Atmane: 6-7(5), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 7-5
A. Rinderknech [26] d. S. Shimabukuro: 6-7(4), 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-2
V. Vacherot [22] d. A. Kovacevic: 6-2, 6-3, 7-5
K. Majchrzak d. H. Medjedovic: 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
R. Sakamoto (Q) d. A. Vukic: 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
F. Tiafoe [11] d. M. Damm: 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
B. Nakashima [16] d. S. Baez: 6-2, 6-1, 6-0
A. Michelsen d. F. Cina (Q): 6-4, 6-1, 6-0
D. Merida d. M. Fucsovics: 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
A. Rublev [23] d. O. Virtanen (L): 6-7(5), 6-7(0), 6-0, 6-2, 7-6(5)
T. Etcheverry [27] d. V. Kopriva: 6-3, 6-4, 6-0
J. Fearnley (L) d. M. Landaluce: 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
M. Berrettini d. S. Wawrinka (W): 7-6(4), 7-6(3), 6-0
M. Navone d. N. Djokovic [4]: 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
B. Shelton [8] d. T. Griekspoor: 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2
H. Hurkacz d. D. Dzumhur: 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
D. Shapovalov d. M. Kecmanovic: 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
L. Van Assche d. C. Norrie [29]: 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
J. Lehecka [18] d. P. Carreno Busta: 6-1, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2
T. Samuel (Q) d. T. Machac: 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
L. Harris (Q) d. J. Kennedy (W): 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
S. Tsitsipas d. A. Fils [10]: 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-4
A. Bublik [15] d. J.J. Wolf (W): 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
A. Mannarino d. T. Tirante: 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
D. Prizmic d. A. Shevchenko: 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5
T. Paul [20] d. C. Wong (Q): 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3
J. Duckworth d. M. Arnaldi [30]: 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(8)
Y. Wu d. A. Walton: 7-6(2), 6-2, 7-5
J. Faria d. J. Brooksby: 6-3, 7-6(4), 4-6, 1-6, 6-2
C. Alcaraz [2] d. R. Safiullin: 6-4, 6-4, 6-4