No. 1 Court at Wimbledon witnessed one of the tournament's most memorable celebrations on Monday when Flavio Cobolli dispatched fifth seed Alex De Minaur 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3 and immediately launched into a full Cristiano Ronaldo impersonation, twirling through the air before landing with feet planted wide and arms snapped to his sides. The mostly English crowd needed no explanation, roaring 'Siuuu' in gleeful unison.
Cobolli, a former youth player in Roma's football academy, made no secret of his inspiration. He declared his love for the Portuguese icon and even pledged to cheer Portugal against Spain in the World Cup that same evening. It was his second soccer-themed celebration of the tournament, having surfed like Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha in the previous round.
Beyond the theatrics, the 24-year-old's tennis was equally compelling. He closed out the match on a 135 mph ace down the T that De Minaur barely grazed, the return falling well short of the service line. The French Open runner-up described defeating a fellow top-ten player in straight sets as a signal that he is truly ready to contend for the title.
For De Minaur, the defeat was a gut-punch. Having held a 5-2 lead in the second set and broken twice in the third, the Australian conceded the match in error-strewn fashion. With Alcaraz absent through injury and the draw appearing relatively open, De Minaur openly admitted the missed opportunity was agonising, saying his dreams felt further away than ever.
Elsewhere, sixth seed Taylor Fritz moved efficiently into the quarterfinals with a 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-4 demolition of Alexander Bublik, maintaining American interest deep into the draw.
TennisDraw users backing Cobolli for a deep grass-court run are looking increasingly prophetic this fortnight.
