Alexander Zverev defeated Jakub Mensik, 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to book his place in the French Open final.
The German held off a brief fightback from Mensik to qualify for his second Roland Garros final, two years after his first.
How impressed have you been by Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros?
He's into another French Open final…
There, he will play either Flavio Cobolli or Matteo Arnaldi.
During TNT Sports’ French Open coverage, two-time French Open champion Jim Courier delivered his verdict on Zverev’s chances of winning the title.
Jim Courier believes Alexander Zverev will win his first Grand Slam at the French Open
Courier was asked if he believes this is Zverev’s ‘year’.
“It sure looks like it,” he said.
“He is in great nick.
“He has not spent too much energy, which was [Jakub] Mensik’s problem today.
Time on court – French Open semi-finalists
| Player | Matches played | Sets played | Total match time |
| Flavio Cobolli | 5 | 17 | 13hr, 01 |
| Alexander Zverev | 6 | 20 | 14hr, 43 |
| Jakub Mensik | 6 | 24 | 18hr, 45 |
| Matteo Arnaldi | 5 | 19 | 19hr, 42 |
“Mensik looked fatigued, whereas [Alexander] Zverev looked fresh, and he was opportunistic.
“Yes, it got a little complicated in the third set. Mensik made a move after the medical timeout, but ultimately Zverev stayed true, and he was right there.
“I was impressed with his response. He recognises that he needs to be steady in those moments and not overreact. He seemed to stabilise in the fourth set.
“His serve was just so awesome coming down the stretch when he needed it most to take the pressure off at the end; he made first serve after first serve.”
Alexander Zverev’s serve stats vs Jakub Mensik
- Aces – 8
- Double faults – 2
- First Serve % – 75%
- Win % on 1st Serve – 79%
- Win % on 2nd Serve – 67%
Courier then commented on whether Zverev is enjoying being the favourite to win the French Open.
“No, I don’t think he’s enjoying it at all,” he said.
“I think he’s trying to ignore it and answer in the most narrow way that he can, so he keeps the pressure off.
“I think he does not want the pressure or to think about it. What he wants is to win and never have to answer that question again.
“It’s hard to switch off the voices in your head. It’s easy to switch off social media and not read the news; the hard part is the ghosts.
“The memories of when you were close and didn’t win. He’s had those here and against Dominic Thiem at the US Open.
Alexander Zverev’s record in Grand Slam finals (0-3)
- 2020 US Open [LOSS] vs Dominic Thiem, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-7
- 2024 French Open [LOSS] vs Carlos Alcaraz, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 1-6, 2-6
- 2025 Australian Open [LOSS] vs Jannik Sinner, 3-6, 6-7, 3-6
“It’s about ignoring all those voices and everyone else and getting on with the job at hand.
“This is the hard part, being okay with it not being good enough. If he were to lose on Sunday and someone plays better than him, that would be a better outcome than him beating himself.
“He is the best player left in this tournament; he has proven that over the years.”
When Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner failed to reach the second week of Roland Garros, he became the heavy favourite to lift the trophy.
The only question mark was whether he could manage the pressure of expectation, having slipped up in the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments many times before.
But with his biggest rivals out of the picture, Zverev has stood up to the plate and is a deserving finalist.
Courier then looked ahead to Sunday’s final, where Zverev will meet one of two Italians.
“If he can play to that level, I suspect it will be enough because he will have more opportunities to break their serves than he would against Mensik’s big bombing serve,” he said.
Neither Cobolli nor Arnaldi have a serve as powerful as Mensik, but that doesn’t mean they can’t challenge the world number three…
Who would Alexander Zverev rather play in the French Open final – Flavio Cobolli or Matteo Arnaldi?
The answer, undoubtedly, is Arnaldi.
Arnaldi has spent the most time on court of the four French Open semi-finalists and simultaneously has the least experience at this level.
Ranked outside the top 100 before the tournament began, the 25-year-old was never supposed to be in this position, and as well as he’s played, it’s hard to imagine him lifting the trophy.
Cobolli, on the other hand, has already caused Zverev problems on clay this year.
He beat Zverev in the Munich semi-finals, although the German got his revenge in Madrid shortly after.
But the good news for Cobolli is that he is relatively fresh.
If he can handle business against Arnaldi in less than an hour and 42 minutes, he will arrive on court for Sunday’s final fresher than Zverev.
That might be slightly optimistic, but the reality is that fatigue shouldn’t be a factor in a potential Cobolli/Zverev French Open final.
Zverev will have to wait and see who he plays in the final, as Cobolli and Arnaldi face off in the second semi-final in the evening session on Friday, June 5.
