Flavio Cobolli is an unlikely finalist at the French Open where he will leave as a Top 10 player. The stars have aligned for Alexander Zverev, his long wait for a Grand Slam title to end at Roland Garros.
| Matteo Arnaldi | Alexander Zverev | |
|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Italy | Germany |
| Age | 25 (22 February 2001) | 29 (20 April 1997) |
| Height | 6'1" (1.85m) | 6'6" (1.98m) |
| Plays | Right-Handed | Right-Handed |
| Ranking | 104 | 3 |
| Career High | 30 (August 2024) | 2 (June 2022) |
| ATP Tour Titles | 0 | 24 |
| French Open Best Result | Fourth Round (2024) | Runner-Up (2024) |
HTH
Alexander Zverev is 3-1 against Flavio Cobolli, two of those encounters coming on clay this year.
| Year | Event | Surface | Round | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Madrid Masters | Clay | QF | Zverev | 6-1 6-4 |
| 2026 | Munich | Clay | SF | Cobolli | 6-3 6-3 |
| 2025 | Halle | Grass | QF | Zverev | 6-4 7-6 |
| 2025 | French Open | Clay | R32 | Zverev | 6-2 7-6 6-1 |
Flavio Cobolli Form
Flavio Cobolli picked up a title in Acapulco and was close to a second on clay in Munich. He beat Alexander Zverev on his way to the final where he went down to Ben Shelton.
The Italian met Zverev again in the Madrid quarter-finals where he lost in straight sets. He regressed with early exits in Rome and Hamburg, beaten by Thiago Agustin Tirante and Ignacio Buse.
The 24-year-old avoided the early carnage at the French Open where he beat Andrea Pellegrino, Yibing Wu and Learner Tien in straight sets. He was set for another comfortable victory over Zachary Svajda before getting through 6-2 6-3 6-7 7-6.
The World No.14 lost the first set against Felix Auger Aliassime before coming home strong to win 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4, hitting 33 winners and 46 unforced errors. He had a walkover against Matteo Arnaldi in the semi-finals.
Cobolli spoke after receiving the news from his compatriot: "It’s tough for me to speak now. When he came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried. It's something that you don't expect at all. I was ready to play this match. When he came, I was completely sad for him."
Alexander Zverev Form
Alexander Zverev is still yet to win a title this year, continually losing against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. His first five semi-finals all ended in defeat, four of them against Sinner or Alcaraz.
The German got to the final in Madrid where he was beaten 6-1 6-2 by Sinner, going down in 57 minutes. He went to Rome and failed to convert four match points in a fourth round defeat to Luciano Darderi.
The 29-year-old has taken his chance at the French Open, beating Benjamin Bonzi and Tomas Machac in straight sets before a 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-2 victory over Quentin Halys.
Zverev got back to winning in straight sets with comfortable victories over Jesper de Jong and Rafael Jodar. He beat Jakub Mensik 7-5 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the semi-finals, winning 62% of his 2nd serves and saving 3/4 break points.
He commented after the match: "He started playing amazingly in the third set. He really stepped up to another level. But this is a Grand Slam, it’s best-of-five set matches.
"Opponents are going to play better. You have to deal with it… I did and I hope to play another great match on Sunday."