No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany advanced to Sunday’s French Open final to face 10th-seeded Flavio Cobolli, who advanced after fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi withdrew due to a viral illness.
Zverev moved closer to his elusive first Grand Slam title with Friday’s 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory against No. 26 seed Jakub Mensik of Czechia at Roland Garros in Paris.
Zverev, 29, has won 24 ATP Tour singles titles and an Olympic gold medal (2020) but is 0-3 in Grand Slam finals with losses at the 2020 U.S. Open, 2024 French Open and 2025 Australian Open.
He took care of business against the 20-year-old Mensik, finishing the clay-court semifinal in just over three hours.
“He started playing amazingly in the third set,” Zverev said of Mensik. “He really stepped up to another level. But this is a Grand Slam, it’s best-of-five set matches. Opponents are going to play better. You have to deal with it … I did and I hope to play another great match on Sunday.”
Mensik was attempting to become the youngest French Open finalist since Rafael Nadal in 2006. He will climb 11 spots to No. 16 in the ATP rankings following his performance.
“It’s amazing the way he played these past two weeks,” Zverev said. “I knew it was going to be the toughest challenge I had so far. I managed. I won. So I’m happy.”
Zverev fired eight aces and won 80% of the points (63 of 79) on his first serve while saving three of four break points. He converted four of seven break chances and finished with a 42-32 edge in winners against Mensik, who double-faulted five times and produced 41 unforced errors.
Cobolli will be well rested after unseeded Arnaldi withdrew prior to the match.
“When he came to me almost 1 hour ago, I almost cried,” Cobolli said. “It was something that you don’t expect at all, and I was ready to play this match. When he came, I was completely sad for him.
“At the same time, of course, I’m really happy for the result.”
Arnaldi told reporters that he started feeling sick in the middle of night and was vomiting.
“To have to withdraw from my first slam semifinal is not something you wish for anybody,” Arnaldi said. “I tried to get ready and tried to stay as much as I could here. Tried to see if I could go on court but every time I got up I feel dizzy and I don’t feel the best. I’m pretty sure if I eat again I won’t feel good. That was the right decision for me to take.”
–Field Level Media
