Zverev becomes Grand Slam champion with French Open victory

Alexander Zverev has finally been crowned a Grand Slam champion for the first time after defeating Flavio Cobolli in the French Open men’s singles final on Sunday. 

The second seed came through a five-set battle 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 at Roland Garros to claim the biggest title of his career and become the first German man to win a major since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open.

Zverev seemed rather confident early in the match, taking the opening set 6-1 as Cobolli struggled to deal with his serve and depth from the baseline. 

The Italian responded in the second set, breaking serve late to level the match and settle into the contest.

The third set remained close throughout, with Zverev securing the decisive break before serving out the set. 

Cobolli refused to go away and produced some of his best tennis in the fourth. The Italian recovered from a breakdown and edged the tiebreak 7-5 to force a deciding set and keep his title hopes alive.

Any pace Cobolli had built disappeared quickly in the fifth set. Zverev broke early and controlled the longer rallies, while his first serve continued to earn him free points.

The German won five of the final six games and closed out the victory after four hours and 16 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The title ends years of frustration for Zverev at the Grand Slam level. He previously lost finals at the 2020 US Open and the 2024 French Open and had often been among the favourites at major tournaments without lifting the trophy. This time he finished the job.

The result also caps a strong clay-court season for the 29-year-old, who has been one of the most consistent players on the surface in recent years. 

With the French Open title now secured, Zverev joins the esteemed league of Grand Slam champions and heads into Wimbledon as one of the top contenders.