Zverev advances: Alexander Zverev beat Jakub Mensik in four sets to reach his fourth Grand Slam final and second at Roland Garros.
Final opponent: He will face Flavio Cobolli, who reached his first major final after Matteo Arnaldi withdrew due to illness.
High stakes: With top seeds out, Zverev is the favourite to finally claim a Grand Slam title on Sunday.
Zverev overcomes Mensik to book French Open final spot
Alexander Zverev battled past Czech rising star Jakub Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in just over three hours to secure a place in Sunday’s French Open final. The world No. 3 took the first two sets with dominant serving and early breaks, weathered a third-set fightback from Mensik, and closed out the match with an early break in the fourth. This marks Zverev’s fourth Grand Slam final and his second at Roland Garros, where he lost in 2024 to Carlos Alcaraz.
A fourth Grand Slam final and a golden opportunity
With Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and other top contenders out early, Zverev’s path to the title has been clearer than in past years. He has dropped only two sets en route to the final and is the only player left with Grand Slam final experience. Having lost three previous major finals — including from winning positions in 2020 and 2024 — Sunday offers perhaps his best chance yet to secure a long-elusive Slam victory.
Cobolli awaits after Arnaldi’s withdrawal
Zverev will meet Italian 10th seed Flavio Cobolli, who reached his first Grand Slam final without playing after compatriot Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from their semi-final due to a viral illness. Cobolli, who will break into the top 10 next week, has beaten Felix Auger-Aliassime and Learner Tien during his run. The walkover means he will be fresher than Zverev, adding intrigue to the final despite his lack of experience at this stage. Evening Standard + 4
Mensik’s breakthrough run ends in semi-finals
At 20, Jakub Mensik reached his first Grand Slam semi-final after defeating Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, and Joao Fonseca, despite earlier collapsing from heat exhaustion in the second round. Against Zverev, he showed flashes of brilliance, using drop shots to take the third set, but struggled to maintain intensity after a neck issue and heavy workload in earlier rounds. His performance cements him as a future contender on the big stage. Tennis365 + 4
“First of all, I am super happy that I could reach the semi-finals and that I could beat a lot of top players. And actually, there were a lot of tough moments that it was basically already done for me. But I stood up and I kept fighting, and I find a way how to win.”
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