Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Alexander Zverev moved one win away from his first grand slam title after beating Czech 26th seed Jakub Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the French Open semi-finals at Roland Garros.
The German second seed will play his fourth career grand slam final on Sunday, returning to the French Open final after losing last year’s title match to Carlos Alcaraz.
For more French Open coverage, read Maja Chwalinska reaches French Open final after stunning run from qualifying.
Zverev Holds Off Mensik Challenge
Mensik had a major chance in the first set when he earned three break points at 4-3, but Zverev survived with strong serving and more controlled baseline play.
The Czech then faltered at 5-5, giving away two double faults and missing a drop shot on set point as Zverev took control of the match.
“Amazing the way he played these last two weeks,” said Zverev of his opponent. “He beat so many unbelievable players and I knew it was going to be the toughest challenge that I had so far. I managed, I won. I’m happy.”
Mensik found a brief response in the third set, but his physical effort across the tournament appeared to catch up with him in the fourth.
Grand Slam Chance Opens For Zverev
Zverev has already won Masters 1000 titles, the ATP Finals and Olympic gold, but a grand slam title has remained out of reach.
He lost the 2020 US Open final to Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets, then fell to Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final.
With Sinner and Novak Djokovic already out of the draw, Zverev has taken full advantage of a path that has not required him to face a top-10 opponent.
His focus now turns to Sunday, where he has another chance to end the wait for the biggest title of his career. Official tournament updates are available through Roland Garros.