India, June 7 -- Only Flavio Cobolli with the shatter-proof confidence of the pro athlete (and his family) won't be surprised that he has reached the Roland Garros men's singles final.

What has astonished the tennis community, including in Cobolli's country, is not that there is an Italian in the Roland Garros men's singles final. What has sideswiped everyone is that the Italian finalist is not called Sinner, J. Or by extension Musetti, L. It is, as the French describe it, incroyable.

But Cobolli was always third in line, behind his country's top two. He is the only Italian not named Sinner or Musetti who has reached a Grand Slam last eight - Wimbledon 2025. The one piece of clarity to emerge from this tumultuous French Open is that the...