Alexander Zverev broke through for his first major championship on Sunday, defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-1 4-6 6-4 6-7(5) 6-1 in the French Open final at Roland Garros in Paris.
The German tennis star overcame years of near-misses, having previously lost three major finals, including one in Paris two years earlier. His victory marks the first time a German man has captured a Grand Slam title since Boris Becker won the Australian Open thirty years ago.
Playing under sunny skies on Court Philippe Chatrier, Zverev dominated early by breaking Cobolli’s serve with a backhand that deflected off the Italian player’s orange-framed racket. He sealed the first set with a forehand winner straight down the court.
The Italian fighter rallied in the second set, energizing himself with spectacular shots to break serve in the seventh game before leveling the match. The center court crowd created an electric, soccer-style atmosphere supporting Cobolli, a former AS Roma academy player.
The enthusiastic crowd quieted during the third set when 10th-seeded Cobolli netted a forehand, handing Zverev a set point opportunity. The German capitalized immediately when another unforced error gave him back the lead.
Zverev’s play became more tentative in the fourth set, allowing Cobolli to break his serve twice. Though the German fought back to tie at 5-5, he faltered during the tiebreak when Cobolli unleashed a powerful forehand winner to force a fifth set.
The final stages lacked the spectacular tennis seen in last year’s championship match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, but Zverev pulled ahead and drew on his veteran experience to finally capture his elusive first major title.
