Alexander Zverev kept his dream of a first Grand Slam title alive with a four-set win over Jakub Mensik in the French Open semi-finals in Paris. The second seed and world number three recovered from a third-set wobble to win 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 and set up a final against either Flavio Cobolli or Matteo Arnaldi on Sunday.
Alexander Zverev stays patient in tight opener
The match began as a high-quality battle between two players who rely heavily on their backhands. For the first ten games, both men traded powerful shots and tried to catch each other with drop shots. Jakub Mensik created three break points at 4-3 but could not take them. Alexander Zverev remained calm and finally broke after the young Czech hit two double faults in a row. He then closed out the set with a clean ace after exactly one hour of play.
Zverev carried that momentum into the second set. He broke early and never let Mensik settle, racing to a 6-2 victory. At this stage, the German looked in complete control.
Jakub Mensik fights back
The third set brought drama. Zverev suddenly lost concentration, and Mensik broke serve for the first time in the match. The 20-year-old Czech, who had already knocked out Alex De Minaur and Andrey Rublev earlier in the tournament, took the set 6-3. The Paris crowd woke up as the contest suddenly felt alive again.
However, Mensik was running on empty. He had spent far more time on court than Zverev to reach the semi-finals and had even needed a wheelchair after collapsing in the heat following his second-round match. He took a medical timeout in the third set for a neck issue, and his energy levels clearly dropped.
Alexander Zverev close it out
Alexander Zverev quickly refocused in the fourth set. He broke serve in the second game and stayed composed to seal the win. Mensik netted a backhand on the first match point, handing Zverev his place in the final.
British umpire James Keothavong had a busy evening, ruling on several tight line calls that annoyed Zverev. He also gave the German a time violation for taking too long to change his racket. Despite these moments, Zverev avoided any major dips in concentration.
Alexander Zverev’s long road to the final
This marks Alexander Zverev’s fourth Grand Slam final appearance. He lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open final after leading two sets to one. He also blew a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final and lost to Jannik Sinner in last year’s Australian Open final. Those near-misses had raised questions about whether he would ever win a major title.
In Paris this year, he has looked more patient and consistent. He has dropped just two sets in the entire tournament. A win on Sunday would finally deliver that elusive first Grand Slam and remove the tag of the best player without a major.
#Alexander #Zverev #beats #Jakub #Mensik #French #Open #semifinal #reach #fourth #Grand #Slam #final