French Open: Alexander Zverev wins first Grand Slam title after dramatic five-set win over Flavio Cobolli | tennis news

Alexander Zverev finally claimed an elusive Grand Slam title in his fourth final as he defeated 14th-ranked Flavio Cobolli in a dramatic French Open climax.

Without Janic Sinar or Carlos Alcaraz, the second-seeded Italian beat first-timer Kobolli 6-1 4-6 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-1.

Zverev became the first German to win a Grand Slam singles title since Boris Becker at the Australian Open 30 years earlier, although it had been so long since a German had won the title that winner Heiner Henkel later died at the Battle of Stalingrad.

He has been the overwhelming favorite ever since top seed Cena struggled in the first week’s heat, when 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was also eliminated.

The big-serving German was playing in his second final at Roland-Garros, losing in five sets to Alcaraz two years ago, but in the year’s wildest Grand Slam tournament, the 29-year-old held his nerve to join the roll of honor and win the Coupe des Musketeers (The Musketeers’ Time Cup) for the first time.

“This court is special to me in many ways,” Zverev said during the trophy ceremony.

“I’ve had the best moments of my life on this court and the worst moments of my life on this court. I was there four years ago lying in the corner with seven broken ligaments and two broken bones.

“I lost a Grand Slam final here two years ago, but now, finally, it’s a happy ending.”

Big move for the Italians

Cobley has been on the rise over the past few years and reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon last year but it was a big step for the 24-year-old.

It initially looked like it would be too big, with Zverev breaking Koboli’s serve three times in the first set.

With the sun shining on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the Italian was struggling to find a balance between consistency and aggression, but at the start of the second set she pushed herself forward and settled into the contest.

The presence of Thiem, who trailed Zverev two sets-to-love in New York in 2020, should be enough to signal to Koboli in the crowd that he can find a way back.

He eventually applied some pressure on Zverev’s serve at 3-3 and the 29-year-old fired a forehand wide on break point to earn his reward.

Zverev’s demons didn’t seem far from the surface as he rocked his support box, earning a round of boos from the crowd.

Cobley is an easy player to like with his puppy energy, passion and varied play, and the crowd was behind him when he pulled level.

The Italian’s weakness came in shot selection, and two missed forehands at 4-5 in the third set gave his opponent a huge advantage.

There was still a feeling that Zverev could beat himself and the fourth set was a case in point.

Twice he went behind on a break and twice he fought back, including a great game to break Coboli when he served for 5-4.

The long awaited crown

Zverev, who is a type 1 diabetic, has been struggling physically, stretching his legs, and he consulted the trainer after receiving a package from his team.

At 3-1 in the tie-break, victory was tantalizingly close, but Cobolli stormed back, and the Italian recovered brilliantly from missing an overhead on his first set point, powering a forehand down the line to keep his chances alive.

The effort seemed to take the edge off the Italian, however, as Zverev surged forward and used all his experience to finally claim his long-awaited crown.

Coboli was competing in his first major final and was aiming to become the fourth Italian to win the Slam after Adriano Panatta, Nicola Pietrangeli and Ciner.

The 24-year-old Italian leapfrogged Paris four places in the rankings to No.10 – and is set to climb to a career high on Monday.

“I want to start you off with Alex. If anyone asks me who deserves this title, I always say you,” Cobley told Zverev during the trophy ceremony.

“It’s an honor to share the court with you today. I’m happy for you but I’m sad because I was close and I felt it. Now that you’ve fulfilled your dream, let me win next time.”

Henman: Zverev can now release years of stress, tension, baggage

Former British No.1 Tim Henman, speaking on TNT Sports:

“He (Zverev) was carrying that baggage from the beginning of the first week when a lot of big names were losing, and there was no other Grand Slam champion in the draw.

“It was his chance and it was his to lose. He made it to the final. We talked about statistics, match-ups, style of play and it had nothing to do with the fifth set, it was about hunger and desire and the will to win.

“For him to cross the finish line to become a Grand Slam champion, you could see and hear the relief in his voice. An extraordinary achievement.

“He’s been under a lot of pressure over the years, and let’s be honest about the last hour and a half of that match, he looked absolutely exhausted.

“He had salt sweat stains all over his shirt, his legs stopped working, he stopped being aggressive.

“It was just the excitement of the situation. When he lost the tiebreak in the fourth set, you thought who would achieve something and now he can enjoy the fruits of his labor not just today, but for the rest of his life.”

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