Jannik Sinner lost early. Carlos Alcaraz withdrew due to injury.
So the pressure has been on Alexander Zverev to finally win an elusive Grand Slam title. Now the second-seeded German is one victory away from raising the French Open trophy.
Zverev reached the fourth major final of his career after beating 20-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the Roland Garros semifinals Friday.
The 27th-ranked Mensik overcame postmatch cramps that landed him in a wheelchair last week, got past Andrey Rublev in five sets and beat rising Brazilian Joao Fonseca in straight sets in the quarterfinals. But Mensik, who was playing in his first Grand Slam semifinal, struggled with five double faults Friday.
“He beat so many unbelievable players. I knew it was going to be the toughest challenge that I had so far. And I managed. I won. I’m happy,” Zverev said.
In Sunday’s final, Zverev will face 14th-ranked Flavio Cobolli. Cobolli advanced when 104th-ranked Matteo Arnaldi withdrew before their all-Italian semifinal due to a virus.
Arnaldi said in a news conference that he started feeling sick in the middle of night, was vomiting and that treatment didn’t help his symptoms.
“It’s tough because, for how the tournament was, how many hours I spent on court, I was actually feeling very good,” Arnaldi said. “To have to withdraw from a first Grand Slam semifinal is not something you wish on anybody. I feel sorry for everyone that came to watch us.”
Zverev has been an overwhelming favorite for the title ever since the top-ranked Sinner struggled in the first week’s heat wave and wasted a two-set, 5-1 lead against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round. Alcaraz, the two-time reigning champion, withdrew before the tournament with an injured right wrist.
Cobolli will be Zverev’s highest-ranked opponent at Roland Garros after he didn’t face a player in the top 25 of the ATP Rankings en route to making the final. He is the first player to make a major final without facing an ATP top-25 player since the last time Zverev did it at the 2020 US Open.
It will be Zverev’s second French Open final, having wasted a lead of two sets to one against Alcaraz in the 2024 championship match.
Zverev had an even bigger advantage — two sets to none — in the 2020 US Open final and lost that one to Dominic Thiem. He was beaten in straight sets by Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final.
Despite overcast and windy conditions at the start Friday, the roof was open on Court Philippe Chatrier and both players struggled with mis-hits early on.
Mensik relied often on serve-and-volley tactics while Zverev was more solid from the baseline of the red clay court. Mensik double-faulted twice late in the first set, leading to the first break.
Zverev broke again early in the second after running down a drop shot from Mensik and went ahead 5-2 when Mensik double-faulted again.
Early in the third, Mensik had his neck treated by a trainer and then left the court for a medical timeout.
When play resumed, Zverev moved Mensik off the court with well-angled shots, and the Czech player threw his racket in desperation at a ball he knew he couldn’t reach.
There were more shouts for “Sascha,” Zverev’s nickname, but the crowd attempted to help Mensik back into the match with chants of “Let’s go, Mensik, let’s go.”
When Mensik produced two well-executed drop shots to finally break Zverev’s serve and take a 4-2 lead in the third, he pumped his fist as the crowd came to life. It was just the second set that Zverev dropped in the tournament.
“He started playing amazing the third set,” Zverev said. “This is best-of-five-set matches. You know things [are] going to happen. Opponents are going to play better. You have to deal with it. You have to manage it. I did. And I hope to play another great match on Sunday.”
When Mensik rushed the net after a slice serve to the deuce court midway through the fourth set and Zverev used his long wingspan to produce a looping cross-court return that dipped over the net beyond his reach, Mensik just smiled — perhaps realizing that Zverev simply had too much game for him.
Allegations made against Zverev
Moments after Zverev’s last Grand Slam final in Australia in 2025, a person in the stadium yelled out the names of two of his ex-girlfriends who accused him of physical abuse.
One case was resolved following an agreement between German prosecutors, lawyers for Zverev and his former partner. The ATP Tour investigated another case and concluded there was insufficient evidence.
The Associated Press and PA contributed to this report.
