Germany’s Alexander Zverev plays a backhand return to Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik during their men’s semi final singles match on day 13 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 5, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AFP
Alexander Zverev moved to within touching distance of a long-coveted maiden Grand Slam title, as the German fought past 26th seed Jakub Mensik 7-5 6-2 3-6 6-3 on Friday (June 5, 2026) to reach the French Open final again.
The 29-year-old, who has lost three major finals, including one at Roland Garros two years ago, has looked sharp in Paris and faces the winner of the all-Italian clash between 10th seed Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Arnaldi.
A tight opening set on a sun-kissed Court Philippe Chatrier tilted Zverev’s way when he struck a backhand crosscourt winner in the 11th game to bring up a break point, and he nudged ahead with a delicate shot that Mensik sent into the net.
The world number three sent down a powerful ace to pocket the first set and asserted himself with an early break at the start of the second set, as the 20-year-old Mensik’s level briefly dipped in his maiden Grand Slam semi-final.
Mensik sat with a towel over his head during a changeover and his troubles deepened after the restart, when Zverev took his game up a few notches and sealed a double break, before comfortably doubling his lead in the match. After a long medical timeout for a neck issue, Czech Mensik mixed his booming serve with deft drop shots to break for a 4-2 lead en route to winning the third set, but Zverev powered through the next with no drama to prevail.
Published – June 05, 2026 09:27 pm IST
