Roland Garros was left with only one men's semifinal on Friday after Matteo Arnaldi withdrew with a stomach virus, handing close friend Flavio Cobolli a place in Sunday's final - and a debut inside the ATP Top 10 - without a ball struck. The other semifinal went ahead, and Alexander Zverev came through it, beating Jakub Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the 4th Grand Slam final of his career and his second at Roland Garros, after the five-set loss to Carlos Alcaraz here in 2024. With Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic all gone, Zverev arrives at what looks like the most favorable major opportunity of his career, one win from the title that has eluded him. He meets Cobolli, who beat him in the Munich 500 last year's final, on Sunday.
Zverev moves one step closer to elusive first Slam title
Alexander Zverev kept his Roland Garros title hopes alive with a 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Jakub Mensik, reaching the [N]th Grand Slam final of his career and his second in Paris. While the scoreline suggests relative comfort, the Czech teenager again showed why he is rated one of the sport's brightest young talents. Mensik looked unfazed by the occasion of his first Slam semifinal and matched Zverev from the baseline through a competitive opening set. The Czech created the first real opening of the match, earning three break points at 4-3, but failed to convert, and that sequence proved the turning point. Zverev escaped the danger, grew in confidence and struck at 5-5, breaking to close out the set 7-5. As against Rafael Jodar in the quarterfinals, winning a tight opener seemed to free the German. His level rose in the second, where he dictated more aggressively and established control with an early break. The match looked headed for a routine finish before Mensik produced one final response, taking advantage of a dip in Zverev's intensity to rediscover his serve, mix in clever variations and take the third set 6-3. Any thoughts of another Grand Slam collapse were quickly dismissed. Aware of the opportunity in front of him, Zverev answered immediately in the fourth with an early break and never let Mensik back in. The German won 78% of points behind his first serve, converted four of seven break points and finished with a 54% share of total points won. Mensik fought hard and produced flashes of the tennis that carried him to the biggest result of his career, but Zverev's experience and consistency proved decisive. For Mensik, the tournament ends with a breakthrough semifinal and confirmation that he belongs among the game's emerging stars. For Zverev, the dream stays alive as he moves within one win of the Grand Slam title that has eluded him throughout his career.
Cobolli into first Slam final as Arnaldi withdraws with illness
Flavio Cobolli reached the first Grand Slam final of his career without striking a ball, after close friend and compatriot Matteo Arnaldi was forced to withdraw with a stomach virus partway through the afternoon. The walkover brought an abrupt end to Arnaldi's extraordinary fortnight, a run that carried him from No. 104 in the rankings to the brink of a maiden major final. The two Italians shared an emotional press conference, Cobolli moving into Sunday's final and, in the same stroke, into the ATP Top 10 for the first time. He will face Alexander Zverev in a rematch of this year's ATP 500 Munich final, where Cobolli produced one of the biggest wins of his career to upset the German.