Alexander Zverev moved to within one match of a long-awaited first grand slam title as he defeated Jakub Mensik. the Czech 26th seed, 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the French Open final for the second time.
Zverev, the second seed and world No 3, will contest his fourth grand slam final on Sunday. The German lost his first grand slam final at the 2020 US Open in a fifth set tie-break against Dominic Thiem having led by two sets. served for the match in the fifth. He was then defeated by Carlos Alcaraz here in 2024 and Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final. He will face the 10th seed Flavio Cobolli in the Italian’s first grand slam final after Matteo Arnaldi was forced to withdraw from their match due to a virus. a development that was announced just 25 minutes before the semi-final was due to begin.
Shortly after Arnaldi’s withdrawal was made public. the Davis Cup teammates held an unusual press conference with the two players sitting far apart on the interview podium. Arnaldi explained that he vomited on multiple occasions on Thursday night. “Every time I get up I feel dizzy. I don’t feel like the best, and I’m pretty sure if I eat again I’m not going to feel good, so that was the right decision,” he said.
Cobolli. 24, also offered his friend words of encouragement before revealing he had nearly cried when Arnaldi approached him to explain he would not be able to compete. “It’s tough for me to speak also. When he came to me an hour ago I almost cried,” said Cobolli.
“I was ready to play this match. when he came I was completely sad for him, but at the same time of course I’m really happy for the result that I reached this week.”
From the moment Sinner, the No 1. heavy favourite, and Novak Djokovic were bounced out of this tournament, all eyes shifted to Zverev. He has won at all other levels, including Masters 1000 titles, the ATP Finals. an Olympic gold medal, but in the most important moments of the majors has often been punished for his lack of courage.
The surprise upsets at Roland Garros showed clearly that there is no such thing as an easy draw,. Zverev had the most merciful draw he could have hoped for. Mensik was the highest-ranked opponent the 29-year-old had faced. Félix Auger-Aliassime’s defeat on Wednesday meant that he will not face a top 10 opponent in his seven matches.
Still. Mensik is a generational talent who will likely compete in the latter rounds of grand slams for many years to come. Alongside one of the most destructive serves in the game, the Czech has an impressively complete game; he is an excellent mover with great feel, net play. a sweet two-handed backhand. Mensik’s physicality. toughness have been issues in his young career and his weaker forehand has often been his one glaring technical weakness in this forehand-dominated sport.
“Amazing the way he played these last two weeks,” said Zverev of his opponent. “He beat so many unbelievable players. I knew it was going to be the toughest challenge that I had so far. I managed, I won. I’m happy.”
It was Mensik who created the first clear opportunity in the opening set by generating three break points. After Zverev saved the first one with an unreturned first serve, Mensik was too passive with his forehand on his second, allowing Zverev to step in. attack his own forehand. In an attempt to rectify his defensiveness on the third opportunity, Mensik badly shanked a forehand long. Zverev went on to hold.
That missed opportunity at 4-3 was followed by a catastrophic service game from Mensik at 5-5 as the 20-year-old, one of the best servers in the world, struck two double faults. then a poor drop shot on set point to hand over the decisive break. Zverev, for his part, carried himself as he has done throughout the tournament, finding big first serves on big points, attacking with his forehand far more readily than in previous years. breaking opponents down with his intensity on each point.
Although Mensik has been impressive throughout the tournament. his straight-sets quarter-final win over João Fonseca being a statement victory against a fellow youngster, he has not been efficient. He navigated two tight five-set matches en route to the semi-final. the Czech collapsed on the court in suffocating heat after his second-round win over Mariano Navone, where he was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair. His physical recovery after that episode showed he is making necessary physical improvements,. his efforts clearly caught up with him here. Mensik focused all of his remaining energy into a brief third-set fightback,. after losing his serve at the beginning of the fourth set he did not have much more to give.
At the same time that the men’s draw has been a scene of carnage, top seeds falling in the early rounds. the remaining players battling through energy-sapping marathon matches just to hang on, Zverev has used his wealth of experience to take care of business and maintain his momentum. His focus has rarely wavered over the past 12 days. He knows more than anyone this is an opportunity he cannot afford to miss, one that may never come again. it seems increasingly likely that he will take it.
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