Alexander Zverev captured his first Grand Slam crown on Sunday, defeating Flavio Cobolli in a gripping five-set final at the 2026 French Open. The German prevailed 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6(5)-7, 6-1 in an entertaining contest on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Pulling out all the stops, Zverev finally broke through to claim his maiden Major title against the young Italian. With this triumph, he became the first German man since Boris Becker in 1966 to win a Grand Slam singles championship, and the first male player from his country ever to lift the Roland Garros trophy.
Cobolli began his Paris campaign with a straight-sets victory over compatriot Andrea Pelligrino, 6-4, 7-6, 6-3, then eased past China’s Yinbing Wu 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. He next dismantled
American Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, before edging Zachary Svadja 6-2, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 to reach the quarterfinals. There, he defeated Canadian Felix Auger Aliassame 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, and advanced to the final after compatriot Matteo Arnaldi withdrew ahead of their scheduled semifinal.
Zverev, meanwhile, launched his run in commanding fashion, overcoming Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round. He then dispatched Thomas Machac 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, before beating Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 in the third round. A 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Dutchman Jesper de Jong sent him into the quarterfinals, where he defeated Spaniard Rafael Jodar 7-6, 6-1, 6-3 to reach the last four. In the semifinals, Zverev overcame Jakub Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to book his place in the title match.
In the final, Zverev struck first to take the opening set, only for Cobolli to erase his advantage by claiming the second. The German edged the third set, but the Italian forced a decider by winning a tense fourth-set tie-break. Zverev then dominated the fifth set, sealing a 6-1 finish to finally get his hands on a Grand Slam trophy.
