Alexander Zverev moved to the brink of his first Grand Slam title by defeating Jakub Mensik in four sets in the French Open semifinals on Friday. The German second seed won 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a final against either Flavio Cobolli or Matteo Arnaldi.

Zverev, 29, has endured three previous Grand Slam final defeats, including a five-set loss to Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros in 2024 and a blown two-set lead against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open. “This is a Grand Slam, it’s best of five, things are going to happen, opponents are going to play better. I managed it,” Zverev said. “I hope to play another great match on Sunday.”

The world No. 3 was playing in his 11th Grand Slam semifinal and his experience proved decisive against the 20-year-old Czech, who was appearing in his first major semifinal. Mensik, who had played two five-set matches earlier in the tournament, called a medical timeout in the third set for a neck injury but still managed to claim the set.

Zverev has lost only two sets in six matches during the tournament and is aiming to end a 14-month title drought, with his last trophy coming on clay in Munich in April 2024. He has dealt well with the pressure of being the tournament favorite after early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.

The final will be played on Sunday, June 8. Zverev will be heavily favored against either Italian opponent as he seeks to finally capture a Grand Slam title.

Source: www.aljazeera.com