Berrettini reaches Vienna quarterfinals as tearful Cobolli retires, Turin hopes in doubt

They grew up as two kids playing tennis on weekends in Rome. On Thursday evening in Vienna, in their first meeting on the tour, the match lasted only seven games, and Matteo Berrettini ended it with his arms around Flavio Cobolli rather than celebrating.

Cobolli, seed No. 4, retired in tears trailing 5-2 in the first set, apparently with a muscle injury, sending his compatriot into the quarterfinals of the Erste Bank Open.

Berrettini will face Australian Alex de Minaur, the No. 5 seed, in the quarterfinals. “I feel so sorry for him,” Berrettini said. “I’ve been in that situation many times, maybe too many, that’s why I got emotional. I know how tough it can be, I know how much he wants to be in Turin, and the last thing you want is to get injured a few weeks before. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.”

I remember his eyes, which are the same eyes he has now: that kid who dreamed of playing on the biggest stages.

The timing could hardly be worse for Cobolli, who is chasing a first appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. The world No. 6 sits inside the qualifying places in the Race to Turin with 3,690 points. The retirement costs him none of the points he has banked. The danger lies ahead: the extent of the injury will be assessed “in the coming hours”.

Three goals are at risk for the Roland-Garros runner-up: Paris next week, the last Masters 1000 of the season; the Finals in Turin; and the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna. An injury that keeps him out of Paris would also deny him the chance to add points and secure his place.

Berrettini had broken to lead 4-2, then again for 5-2. When Cobolli came out to serve to stay in the set, he broke down and could not continue. Berrettini went straight to him, embraced him and stayed with him until he left the court. It was a moment both sad and magnificent, and a gesture widely praised.

For Berrettini, the evening was about far more than a place in the last eight. “The idea today was simply to go out on the court and celebrate the journey we’ve both been on since Rome, as two little kids who played tennis on weekends,” he said.

He went back further still. “I remember him and I remember the day he chose to play tennis instead of soccer. I remember his eyes, which are the same eyes he has now: that kid who dreamed of playing on the biggest stages.”

“I think he deserves to be there and I think he deserves the career he’s having so far, so I wish him nothing but the best,” Berrettini added.

Ranked No. 43, Berrettini had opened his week by beating Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-4. Cobolli had needed three sets to get past Bulgarian wildcard Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round.