Alexander Zverev faces Flavio Cobolli in French Open final chasing elusive Grand Slam title

PARIS (AP) — Alexander Zverev is under pressure to win an elusive Grand Slam title when he plays 14th-ranked Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final on Sunday.

It’s the fourth major final of Zverev’s career and it’s a unique opportunity for the third-ranked German without Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz across the net.

The final on the red clay of Roland Garros starts st 3 p.m. (1300 GMT; 9 a.m. ET).

Zverev has been an overwhelming favorite for the title ever since the top-ranked Sinner struggled in the first week’s heat wave and wasted a two set and 5-1 lead against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round. A day later, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was also eliminated.

Alcaraz, the two-time reigning champion, withdrew before the tournament with an injured right wrist.

It’s Zverev’s second French Open final, having wasted a lead of two sets to one against Alcaraz in the 2024 championship match.

Zverev had an even bigger advantage — two sets to none — in the 2020 U.S. Open final and lost that one, too, to Dominic Thiem. He was also beaten in straight sets by Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final.

Cobolli had never been past a Grand Slam quarterfinal until this week.

He’s attempting to become the first Italian man to raise the singles trophy at Roland Garros since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.

Cobolli comes from the same tennis club in Rome as Panatta and Panatta has been asked by tournament organizers to present the Coupe des Mousquetaires to the champion to celebrate the anniversary of his 1976 triumph.

Both players have dropped only two sets en route to the final.

Zverev has won three of his four career meetings with Cobolli, including a straight-sets victory in the third round in Paris a year ago. But they’ve also split two encounters on clay this season: Cobolli won in straight sets in Munich and Zverev won in straight sets in Madrid.

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva won the women's singles trophy on Saturday.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis