Alexander Zverev will play Flavio Cobolli in the 2026 French Open men’s singles final.
Zverev beat Jakub Mensik in the first semi-final, before Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from the tournament, sending Cobolli through to the final.
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Receiving a walkover, Cobolli has reached the final, playing one match less than Zverev.
During his post-match press conference, Zverev was asked if that worried him.
Alexander Zverev insists he isn’t worried after Flavio Cobolli receives a walkover into the French Open final
“Not really,” he said.
“I feel fine.
“I did not have brutally long matches.
“I honestly feel like I could play again now. So not really.”
Time on court – French Open finalists
| Player | Matches played | Sets played | Total match time |
| Flavio Cobolli | 5 | 17 | 13hr, 01 |
| Alexander Zverev | 6 | 20 | 14hr, 43 |
Zverev has only dropped two sets at this year’s French Open, but will set foot on Court Phillipe Chatrier for the final having played one hour and 42 minutes more tennis than his opponent.
The German doesn’t believe that will have an impact, but he surely wouldn’t have said no to Cobolli playing a long five-setter in the semis!
He continued, commenting on Arnaldi’s illness, which saw him pull out of the tournament minutes before the biggest match of his life.
“I think it’s not the way you want a semi-final of a Grand Slam to happen,” said Zverev.
“But I also saw Matteo [Arnaldi] in the locker room, and he looked awful. I understand it.
“There’s nothing much you can do. We are all human. You don’t want that to happen, but they do.
“I don’t think there is going to be a big difference on Sunday.”
Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli’s head-to-head record
Zverev will play Cobolli in the French Open final, but who’s had the better of their rivalry so far?
They met for the first time 12 months ago, at this very tournament.
Playing for a spot in the last 16, Zverev secured the win in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6, 6-1.
Cobolli didn’t have to wait long for a shot at revenge, as they met on grass at the Halle Open the month after.
Unfortunately for the Italian, changing surfaces didn’t change his fortunes, as again, he failed to win a set against Zverev, losing 4-6, 6-7.
Determined to pick up his first win over the world number three, Cobolli met Zverev for the third time at this year’s Munich Open.
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 13,500 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 9,960 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 6,605 |
| 4 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,440 |
| 5 | Ben Shelton | USA | 3,920 |
| 6 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 3,905 |
| 7 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 3,760 |
| 8 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 3,760 |
| 9 | Taylor Fritz | USA | 3,720 |
| 10 | Flavio Cobolli | Italy | 3,540 |
With a place in the final up for grabs, Cobolli finally won his first set against the German.
Carrying that momentum forward to the second set, Cobolli won 6-3, 6-3, knocking Zverev out of his home tournament.
12 days later, the 24-year-old had an opportunity to tie their head-to-head at 2-2, as they faced off in the Madrid Open quarter-finals.
It wasn’t to be for Cobolli, though, losing their fourth career meeting in straight sets, 1-6, 4-6.
The Italian number two trails Zverev 1-3 in the head-to-head, but enters the French Open final knowing he has beaten his rival on clay before.
Can he do it again, on the biggest stage of them all? That’s another question.
Cobolli and Zverev will contest this year’s French Open men’s singles final on Sunday, June 7.
