Zverev outlasts Cobolli in five-set thriller to win maiden French Open title

Alexander Zverev finally broke his Grand Slam duck after overcoming a spirited challenge from Flavio Cobolli 61 46 64 675 61 in a gripping French Open final on Sunday to lift the first major title of his careerIn an enthralling fourhour 20minute contest on Court PhilippeChatrier the German fought back from the disappointment of letting a twosetstoone lead slip away and sealed the French Open 2026 crown in the decisive fifth setIt brought an end to Zverevrsquos long wait for a Grand Slam title having suffered losses in three previous finals ndash at the US Open in 2020 Roland Garros in 2024 and the Australian Open in 2025 but the world No 3 managed to hold his nerve when it mattered collapsing onto the clay in disbelief when he converted the championship pointZverev flew out of the blocks in the final breaking Cobolli in the opening game immediately asserting control at the baseline as his serve and groundstrokes were too potent for the Italian who could not find a rhythm as the first set was over in just 34 minutesBut Cobolli in his first ever Grand Slam final produced a fine response in the second set as the 24yearold attacked with freedom mixing in clever drop shots and he found a breakthrough at 44 when Zverev sent a forehand wideThe Italian held serve with authority levelling the match to fire up the Paris crowdThe third set turned out to be crucial Holding serve all the way until the tenth game it was a flurry of errors by Cobolli that handed Zverev a vital break which he then sealed when moving within one set of a longawaited major titleThe nerves however began to show in the fourth set with Zverev gifting Cobolli a break in the first game and then again when serving at 43 downThe German clawed his way back to 55 but could not deny the Italian a sensational comeback in the tiebreak as he battled back from 13 down sealing it with a stunning forehand winner at set point to send the match into a deciderWith the momentum now firmly with Cobolli and Zverev faltering yet again the final appeared to be slipping awayBut the German stepped up to produce the finest tennis of the contestDespite his struggles in the fourthset tiebreak Zverev immediately responded with an improved level in the fifth Serving superbly and winning 83 percent of firstserve points coupled with consistent groundstrokes forcing a barrage of Italian errors the second seed broke Cobolli early and never looked back saving all four break points he faced to win 61This is a careerdefining title for Zverev who had already captured two ATP Finals titles seven Masters 1000 crowns and an Olympic gold medal but the 29yearold can now add a Grand Slam title to his remarkable achievementsThe victory also puts him in the annals of German tennis He became the first German man to win the French Open since Henner Henkel in 1937 and the first German man to win any Grand Slam title since Boris Becker triumphed at the Australian Open in 1996For Cobolli defeat brought an end to a wonderful tournament but the Italian departs Roland Garros having reached his first ever major final and set to enter the worldrsquos top 10 for the very first timeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever