Alexander Zverev overpowers Jakub Mensik in 'toughest challenge' to reach second French Open final in hunt for maiden Grand Slam title

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Alexander Zverev reached his second French Open final, eventually breaking Czech sensation Jakub Mensik's stubborn resistance in three hours.

Highlights: Watch as Zverev battles past Mensik to head into final as favourite

Video credit: TNT Sports

The 2024 finalist claimed a 7-5 6-2 3-6 6-3 victory on Court Philippe-Chatrier and the No. 2 seed will now face Italy's Flavio Cobolli after the Italian was given a bye into Sunday's showdown when Matteo Arnaldi withdrew owing to illness.

After Mensik had seen off No. 8 seed Alex de Minaur, No. 11 seed Andrey Rublev and breakout Brazilian starlet Joao Fonseca, Zverev knew he was in for a tricky afternoon at Roland-Garros.

The German called the four-set battle his "toughest challenge" of the tournament so far, hailing his 20-year-old opponent's campaign as "amazing."

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Speaking in his on-court interview, Zverev said: "It was amazing the way he played these last two weeks. He beat so many unbelievable players and I knew it was going to be the toughest challenge that I had so far, and I managed it, I won, I'm happy.

"[Playing on this court] is the toughest but in some ways also the nicest, because you know that anything can happen at any given moment and you can always try to find a way.

"On a faster court, like a grass court or a fast hard court, it's more difficult, and here you have to fight for every point, you have to play every point like it's your last. This is the special and fun part about Roland-Garros."

'What an athlete!' - Watch as Mensik wows Agassi with sensational backhand winner down line

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Zverev survived three break points in snatching the first set and made light work of the second, breaking twice and winning two love-holds as the German went one away from a fourth Grand Slam final.

It looked as if a gruelling campaign had finally taken its toll on Mensik, who required a medical timeout to soothe his neck at the start of the third set.

But the Czech charged back onto the court in a show of defiance and claimed his first break of serve soon after, utilising devastating drop shots to great effect and subsequently holding with ease to go 5-2 up.

And the 20-year-old allowed himself a smile and fist bump as he wrapped up the set to keep his final hopes alive.

"He started playing amazing," Zverev said. "In the third set, he really stepped up another level, but this is a Grand Slam. This is best-of-five-set matches. You know things are going to happen.

"Opponents are going to play better. You have to deal with it. You have to manage it. I did, and I hope to play another great match on Sunday."

Watch as exasperated Mensik throws racquet at ball in clash with Zverev

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Out of nowhere, Mensik started to find the net with alarming regularity, surrendering his first service game to allow Zverev a 3-0 advantage in the fourth.

The 29-year-old continued to consistently threaten on his opponent's serve but in the end did not need to, eventually forcing Mensik to thrash into the net one last time to book his place in the final on Sunday, June 7, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Watch the moment Zverev beats Mensik to reach final at French Open

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Courier: Zverev needs to quieten his ghosts

In his post-match interview, Zverev drew the largest laugh from the crowd when he discussed his thought process, or lack thereof, before stepping onto the court.

"Pure emptiness," Zverev replied after being asked what goes through his mind when his name is announced before his walkout.

"There's absolutely nothing in my head, to be honest. We're athletes, very few of us have anything in our head heads anyway. So sometimes it's easier to be stupid and not to think too much."

Zverev hails 'amazing' Mensik after coming through 'toughest challenge' to reach final

Video credit: TNT Sports

And while his comment was made partly in jest, TNT Sports expert and two-time Roland-Garros champion Jim Courier believes the German's mentality is going to be key in Sunday's showpiece.

Zverev has failed to cross the finishing line in three previous Grand Slam finals, losing to Dominic Thiem, Carlos Alcaraz and most recently Jannik Sinner at the 2025 Australian Open.

"He's not wrong. Look at me, I'm proof of that. You can win four [Grand Slams] if you're dumb enough," joked Courier.

"It's hard to switch off the voices in your head. It's easy to switch off social media. It's easy to not read the news. The hard part, though, is the ghosts, the memories of when you were close and you couldn't close.

"He's had those here, as well as at a US Open final against Dominic Thiem. It's about quieting all those voices, ignoring everyone else and just getting on with the job at hand.

"And also, ultimately, and this is the hard part, being okay with it not being good enough. If he were to lose on Sunday and someone played better than him, that would be a far better outcome than if he were to lose and he beat himself, right?

"So he's got to go out there and play his best tennis, let the chips fall where they fall, and if he does that, he's going to give himself the best chance he has to win.

"He's the best player left in this tournament. He's proven that over the years."

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