German tennis player Alexander Zverev won the French Open final on Sunday, defeating Italian Flavio Cobolli in a five-set match with a score of 6:1, 4:6, 6:4, 6:7, and 6:1. This victory marks Zverev’s first Grand Slam title, following final losses at the US Open in 2020, the French Open in 2024, and the Australian Open in 2025. Furthermore, he is the first male German Grand Slam winner since Boris Becker at the Australian Open in 1996, and he is the first German singles champion at Roland Garros since Henner Henkel in 1937.
Zverev started the match strongly, dominating the first set with high pressure and few errors. Cobolli appeared nervous early on and struggled to find his rhythm. However, the momentum shifted in the second set: Zverev began faltering on his own serve, allowing Cobolli to capitalize on his opportunities to level the match.
The third set became a balanced duel, where both players initially held their service games successfully. Yet, Zverev demonstrated his class during a crucial phase, using a break point to retake the lead in sets. Zverev, however, started the fourth set poorly and immediately lost his first service game. He seemed physically fatigued throughout the remainder of the set, but managed to fight back after several breaks into the tiebreak, which he ultimately lost.
The decisive fifth set proved surprisingly clear for the German player. Zverev successfully broke Cobolli three times in total, securing his first-ever Grand Slam championship.
