Matteo Arnaldi is playing the best tennis of his career at the 2026 French Open. The unseeded player punched his ticket to the quarterfinal after taking down U.S. star Frances Tiafoe in a marathon five-hour, 26-minute match.
Arnaldi defeated Tiafoe, the last American left in the competition, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Before taking on fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini on June 3, Arnaldi has spent 17 hours and 42 minutes on the court — the most of anyone at Roland Garros this year.
“I don’t know how I’m standing here to be honest,” he told reporters after his hard-fought victory. “We live to play these matches. I always dreamed to play matches like this, at Roland-Garros, at night, in these battles against someone like Frances.
“I think at one point it wasn’t tennis, it was just something else, you just played with everything you had. There had to be a winner and fortunately it was me tonight. This is definitely the best match I ever played.”
Cheering Arnaldi on at Court Suzanne-Lenglen, his fiancée, Mia Savio. Not only is she his biggest fan, Savio played a pivotal role in getting the 25-year-old back to Paris this year.
Matteo Arnaldi’s Fiancée Mia Savio Helped the Tennis Star Recover From His First Real Injury
GettyMia Savio of Australia watches fiancé Matteo Arnaldi play tennis at the 2024 Mexico Open.
Arnaldi’s current rise is even more impressive after dealing with a right foot injury earlier this year. “She’s been with me a lot with the injury that I had,” Arnaldi said of Savio, per the ATP Tour.
“I was out for a little bit. It was the first time in life that I’ve been injured and stayed out of the Tour for a little bit. But also just struggling, not being able to practice like I always did. I was coming home and I was limping around because I couldn’t put the foot down. It was just tough for me.
“I also couldn’t do normal things in life because I couldn’t walk in the house or I couldn’t go and get some stuff. So it was weirder for me — [especially] because I never experienced that before — and now I dropped in the rankings as well.”
Savio, whom he first started dating in 2022, was there for him. “Things like ‘You’ll get there, it’s not a big deal, it’s not like you don’t have the level’ and things like that,” Arnaldi said. “It’s not actual tennis. Actual tennis, we don’t talk much about that.”
Mia Savio Sent Fiancé Matteo Arnaldi a 2-Word Message Before the Quarterfinals
After Arnaldi upset Tiafoe, she posted a supportive message on her Instagram Stories. She wrote, “QF’s baby.”
Arnaldi’s cheering section goes beyond his future bride. Even Alexander Zverev, who’s already advanced to the semifinals where he’ll face Jakub Mensik, is impressed with the young star.
“Probably the biggest surprise is Matteo Arnaldi,” Zverev told reporters. “I think ranking-wise and what he’s done in the past. I think Cobolli, we know the potential that he had. Berrettini, we know he’s a Grand Slam finalist. He can play fantastic tennis. So if you talk about surprise probably Arnaldi but again he’s a fantastic tennis player. I feel like the draw opened up a lot on the top half.”
Matteo Arnaldi’s Fiancée Helped Through Dark Time Before French Open