The long wait is finally over for Alexander Zverev. On Sunday afternoon at Roland Garros, the 29-year-old German captured his long awaited first Grand Slam title, defeating Flavio Cobolli in a five-set thriller on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
In his fourth attempt in a major final, the second-seeded Zverev outlasted the 10th-seeded Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1 in a match that lasted four hours and 16 minutes. It surely wasn’t the highest quality of tennis we’ve seen, and there were nerves from both players showing, but in the end it was an entertaining match and a deserving champion.
When Cobolli missed an overhead smash on Zverev’s second championship point, the German immediately collapsed flat on his back into the red clay, covering his face with his hands as tears flowed.
A happy ending
For Zverev, the victory is a happy ending at a venue that previously hosted his toughest tennis memories. It was on this court in 2022 that he had to be pushed off in a wheelchair after tearing seven ligaments in his ankle during a semifinal against Rafael Nadal, and just two years ago, he fell short in a five-set final here to Carlos Alcaraz.
“This court is so special to me in so many ways. I’ve had the best moments of my life on these courts, I had the worst moment of my life on these courts – I was laying in that corner over there four years ago with seven broken ligaments and two fractured bones, and I lost a Grand Slam final here two years ago. But now, finally, it’s a happy end.” Zverev commented after the match.
With the victory, Zverev etches his name into tennis history:
- He becomes the first German man to win a Grand Slam singles title in 30 years, since Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open.
- He joins Andre Agassi, Goran Ivanisevic and Dominic Thiem as elite players who successfully secured their maiden major title on their fourth final attempt.
How the final was won
Zverev opened the match in the form we were expecting, and what we’ve seen from him sofar in the tournament. He was completely dominating the baseline exchanges to sprint through the first set 6-1. The 24-year-old Cobolli refused to roll over though and relied on heavy kick serves and explosive forehands to snatch the second set and push Zverev to the absolute limit.
After Zverev secured the third set, a tense fourth set culminated in a high-stakes tiebreak. Zverev built an early 3-1 lead and stood just three points away from the championship, but Cobolli rallied spectacularly, blasting a running forehand winner down the line to take the tiebreak 7-5 and force a deciding set.
From there we thought the momentum was with the Italian…
Ultimately, the physical exertion of the four-hour marathon took its toll on Cobolli. He flatlined in the opening stages of the fifth set, allowing a focused Zverev to break serve immediately and charge to a double-break 3-0 lead. Zverev closed out the match with his trademark serving to cross the finish line finally.
| Match Statistics | Alexander Zverev (GER) | Flavio Cobolli (ITA) |
| Aces | 6 | 6 |
| First Serve % | 76% | 53% |
| Break Points Won | 9 of 21 | 3 of 8 |
| Total Points Won | 162 | 136 |
Cobolli, who received his runner-up silverware from 1976 Roland Garros champion Adriano Panatta, showed grace in defeat. “If someone asked me who deserved this title more, I would have said you,” Cobolli told Zverev on court. “Now you’ve achieved your dream, let me win the next time.”
It's yours, Sascha ?#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/036ZjLMXpn
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2026
Titles on all levels
After finally winning his first Grand Slam, Alexander Zverev now has won every tour-level category in his career: ATP 250, ATP 500, ATP Masters 1000, ATP Finals, Olympics and a Grand Slam.
- Grand Slam: 1 – 2026 Roland Garros
- Olympics: 1 – 2021 Tokyo
- ATP Finals: 2 – 2018, 2021
- ATP Masters 1000: 7 – 2017 Rome, 2017 Canada, 2018 Madrid, 2021 Madrid, 2021 Cincinnati, 2024 Rome, 2024 Paris
- ATP 500: 6 – 2017 Washington DC, 2018 Washington DC, 2021 Acapulco, 2021 Vienna, 2023 Hamburg, 2025 Munich
- ATP 250: 8 – 2016 St. Petersburg, 2017 Montpellier, 2017 Munich, 2018 Munich, 2019 Geneva, 2020 Cologne-1, 2020 Cologne-2, 2023 Chengdu
It’s been a great clay season and a very entertaining and different Roland Garros event, now we look forward to the upcoming grass season.
