French Open final: Alexander Zverev beats Flavio Cobolli in 5 sets for long-awaited first Grand Slam title

It took a Roland Garros field depleted of every other top contender by the second week, but Alexander Zverev is no longer the best player to never win a Grand Slam.

After heartbreak in three straight Grand Slam finals, the fourth time was the charm for the German in a grueling 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 win over No. 10 seed Flavio Cobolli. It is the first tournament of any sort he's won in more than a year.

Zverev, the world No. 3, entered the match with a painful history in tennis' biggest matches. He collapsed against Dominic Thiem in the COVID-addled 2020 US Open. He took a 2-1 set lead over Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open before getting crushed in the final two sets. He got bulldozed by Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open.

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Cobolli was a far less accomplished opponent than those three, but still had the mobility and ball-striking to challenge Zverev. It was a challenging match for both players, but it was the German putting it away in a one-sided fifth set.

As Cobolli mishit his final shot, Zverev fell to the court and broke into tears, feeling the end of a long journey. At 29 years old, he is the seventh-oldest man in tennis history to win his first major, and the first German man to win one since 1996.

It got uncomfortable for Alexander Zverev, then easy

The two players entered the final with a major rest discrepancy, after Zverev dispatched Jakub Mensik in four sets on Saturday while Cobolli got a walkover due to an illness for countryman Matteo Arnaldi.

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That seemed to show in the first set, to Cobolli's detriment. He got broken immediately and didn't get a single break point in the first set.

The middle three sets wound up being the meat of the match. Cobolli struck back in an impressive set, then Zverev stole the third set with a late break. The fourth set saw the men exchange two breaks — with Zverev briefly dealing with cramping issues — on the way to a tiebreaker, where Cobolli shook off a wild gaffe on his first set point to win the second.

Cobolli theoretically had the rest advantage and the momentum going into the fifth set. Then he deflated, going down a double break to open the set and never recovering. He'll have more chances at only 24 years old, but this one certainly slipped away for him.

So many people expected Zverev to crumble at this level, after blowing far bigger leads under less pressure. Outside of some double-fault issues (nine total), he was the steadier player throughout the match, holding the better number in winners (50-42), unforced errors (65-54) and forced errors (47-40).

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Zverev's backhand is one of the best shots in tennis and it served him well, as did a first serve he landed 76% of the time and won on 73% of points. It was a forehand that really stood out relative to past performances, refusing to give Cobolli a refuge in long rallies. Zverev won 39-of-51 rallies that lasted at least nine shots.

The door was open for Alexander Zverev by the fourth round

In addition to Zverev's breakthrough, this tournament will be remembered for a complete drain of top contenders.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz had to pull out with an injury, as did much-hyped Frenchman Arthur Fils. And then Sinner, the prohibitive favorite, cramped his way out of the second round, while three-time Roland Garros champion Novak Djokovic fell to rising star Joao Fonseca in the third round.

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By the fourth round, the only ATP top-10 players left in the field were Zverev and No. 4 seed Felix Auger Aliassime, who is known more for his indoor hardcourt success than anything on clay. The only real fight left was Zverev and his demons, as his path to the final was as devoid of real obstacles as you can get in a Grand Slam:

First round: Benjamin Bonzi, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Second round: Tomas Machac, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2

Third round: Quentin Halys: 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2

Fourth round: Jesper De Jong: 7-6, 6-4, 6-1

Quarterfinals: No. 27 Rafael Jodar, 7-6, 6-1, 6-3

Semifinal: No. 26 Jakub Mensik, 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

Does that mean the title comes with an asterisk? Hardly. That's just how tennis tournaments work sometimes. Zverev was the only top player in the second week, and he took advantage of the kind of opportunity he's squandered in the past.

As long as Zverev has awaited this moment, he won't be the most popular champion. His not-insignificant history of on-court incidents is nothing compared to the domestic abuse allegations from two ex-girlfriends, both of which he denies.

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That didn't come up much on the TNT broadcast Sunday, nor has it been brought up much inside tennis' halls since he settled one of the cases with a €150,000 fine and €50,000 donation to charity in 2024.

Here's how the Roland Garros men's final between Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli went down at Yahoo Sports:

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