German earns dramatic 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 win

Alexander Zverev is a major champion at last.

The German realised a lifelong dream on Sunday at Roland Garros, where he defeated first-time Slam finalist Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 to claim his first major title in Paris.

In an engrossing clash on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Zverev was the steadier player in the first and third sets before he showed an abundance of resilience in a one-sided final set. After Cobolli clawed his way back to win a dramatic fourth-set tie-break with a scorching forehand winner, Zverev refused to let the opportunity slip away. Having come within three points of victory in the fourth set, the 29-year-old reset impressively and took the match to the Italian in the fifth, sealing a hard-fought four-hour, 16-minute triumph.

Overcome with emotion, Zverev collapsed to the clay after converting match point before sharing a warm embrace with Cobolli.

For Zverev, the triumph represents another crowning achievement of a career that has long placed him among the game's elite. Since breaking through on the ATP Tour in 2016, the German has won two Nitto ATP Finals titles, seven ATP Masters 1000 crowns and an Olympic gold medal in singles. Yet until Sunday, a major triumph had remained just out of reach.

The World No. 3 had endured his share of heartbreak on the major stage. Zverev lost to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final, fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the Roland Garros championship match in 2024 and came up short against Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final. Following his loss in Melbourne, Zverev became the eighth man in the Open Era (since 1968) to lose his first three major finals. There would be no such disappointment this time.

Like Zverev, eight-time major champion Andre Agassi, 2021 Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic and 2020 US Open champion Thiem all captured their first major in their fourth final.

A big part of Zverev's journey came on Court Philippe-Chatrier in 2022, when the German tore several lateral ligaments in his right ankle when moving to his right to chase down a Rafael Nadal forehand in the pair's semi-final. It was immediately clear he would have to retire from the match, and he later underwent surgery. Four years on and the German has now had one of the best moments of his life on the same court.

"This court is so special to me in so many ways," Zverev said during the trophy ceremony. "I have had the best moments of my life on this court and the worst moment of my life on these courts. I was playing in the corner four years ago over there with seven broken ligaments and two fractured bones. I lost a Grand Slam final here two years ago, but now, finally, it is a happy end."

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Zverev arrived in Paris as the second seed after Alcaraz withdrew due to injury, and his path was further transformed during a dramatic opening week. Top seed Sinner suffered a shock second-round exit to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, while Brazilian 19-year-old Joao Fonseca beat 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the third round.

With expectations growing, Zverev responded impressively. The 29-year-old dropped just two sets en route to the championship match and then overcame an explosive Cobolli and late-match nerves to clinch victory. In an impressive fifth-set showing, the German saved all four break points, found first serves and powered through his groundstrokes.

"I want to start with you Alex. If someone asked me who deserves this title, I always said you," Cobolli said to Zverev during the trophy ceremony. "It has been an honour to share the court with you today. I am happy for you but I am also sad as I was close and I felt it. Now that you have achieved your dream, let me win next time."

Zverev is the first German man to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires since Henner Henkel in 1937. Zverev is also just the third German man in the Open Era (since 1968) to win a major title and first since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open. Michael Stich triumphed at Wimbledon in 1991.

In Sunday’s final on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Zverev made the faster start. The German broke Cobolli’s serve in the first game when the Italian mishit a forehand after a deep Zverev return. From that moment, the second seed dictated play. Zverev cruised through service games and consistently put a misfiring Cobolli under pressure with his big ball-striking to lead.

Cobolli played with more aggression and clarity at the start of the second set. But Zverev delivered in the first big moment of the set, outlasting the Italian in a lengthy, gruelling baseline exchange to save break point at 3-3, 30/40. However, the German’s reprieve was short lived, with Cobolli breaking Zverev's serve shortly after when the World No. 3 fired a forehand wide. Cobolli, playing with more freedom and using the drop shot effectively, then maintained his intensity to level.

Cobolli survived an early test at the start of the third set. The 24-year-old serve and volleyed to fend off break point at 1-2, 30/40, before hitting an inside-in forehand winner to hold. Zverev remained solid behind his own delivery and began to read the drop shot. The German then capitalised on four Cobolli errors in the 10th game to break the Italian's serve and lead.

Rather than push on into the distance, Zverev showed nerves that have plagued him in the past in the fourth set. The German committed three unforced errors to lose serve in the first game of the set and lost serve for the second time in the set when he netted a volley after following a serve in. While he was able to rally from 3-5, to 5-5, he was unable to wrestle back control again in the tie-break.

Cobolli rallied from 1/3 in the tie-break, hammering a forehand winner on his second set point to force a decider to the delight of the raucous crowd.

However, Cobolli was unable to take that momentum and renewed belief into the decider. Zverev made 83 per cent of his first-serve points in the fifth set and clinically fended off all four break points he faced to race away to the finish line. Zverev had 21 break points in the match compared to eight for Cobolli, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Zverev, a 25-time tour-level titlist, is the third man born in the 1990s to win a major trophy, joining 2020 US Open champion Thiem and 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev. Before this year's Roland Garros, Alcaraz and Sinner, both born in the 2000s, had swept the past nine majors since the start of 2024.

Cobolli was competing in his first major final and was aiming to become the fourth Italian man to win a Slam, after Adriano Panatta, Nicola Pietrangeli and Sinner. The 24-year-old Italian, who earned wins against seeds Felix Auger-Aliassime and Learner Tien in the French capital, leaves Paris up four spots to No. 10 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to rise to a career-high on Monday.

Did You Know?
Zverev is the first first-time major champ since Sinner at the 2024 Australian Open.