After years of agonizing near-misses, Germany’s Alexander Zverev is at last a Grand Slam champion. The 29-year-old defeated Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in a grueling five-set final at Roland Garros, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, to claim the title that had so long eluded him.
Zverev stormed through the opening set, racing to 6-1 and appearing poised for a straightforward coronation. But Cobolli — appearing in his first-ever major final — refused to capitulate. The Italian hit back to take the second set 6-4, and the match see-sawed through four sets before Zverev reasserted control in the decider.
For Cobolli, the loss stings, but the tournament represents a breakthrough. As L’Espresso noted, the Roman arrived in Paris without a Grand Slam semifinal to his name and leaves with “a new international dimension.” He had even beaten Zverev just five weeks earlier in the Munich semifinals, winning 6-3, 6-3 — a result that gave him genuine hope heading into the final.
For Zverev, it was redemption. Long considered one of the most talented players never to win a major, the German can now call himself the King of Paris.
