Cobolli Retires in Tears as Berrettini Advances in Vienna

Flavio Cobolli's bid for a first ATP Finals appearance suffered a cruel blow on Thursday when the Italian retired in tears during his Vienna Open second-round match against compatriot Matteo Berrettini. Cobolli, who was playing with a bandage on his left leg, stopped trailing 5-2 in the opening set at the Wiener Stadthalle, breaking down on his bench before Berrettini crossed the net to console his childhood friend. The match had been evenly balanced until Berrettini broke at 3-2, converting his fifth break point of the set, and then consolidated to move within sight of the opener. Berrettini later described it as the most bitter win of his career, saying he felt immense sadness for a friend who wants to play in Turin more than anything. Cobolli, who reached his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros and won the Acapulco title this year, sits in contention for one of the eight Turin places with the season-ending event starting on November 15, but now faces an anxious wait over the injury. Berrettini advances to a quarter-final against Alex de Minaur.