Alexander Zverev equals all-time French Open record after beating Jakub Mensik to enter fourth Grand Slam final

Alexander Zverev inched closer towards fulfilling his dream of winning a maiden Grand Slam on Friday after defeating Jakub Mensik in four sets to setup a final against Flavio Cobolli. The second seed beat Czech Republic's Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the first men's singles semi-final, entering the fourth Grand Slam final of his career in the process.

The 29-year-old German faces Cobolli, who did not have to move a muscle in his maiden Grand Slam semi-final appearance after his opponent, fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi, withdrew due to illness.

'Sascha' equals Ferrer's Roland Garros record

Zverev, who had won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021, had previously reached the final of three different Majors, only to end up on the losing side on each occasion – against Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, against Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Roland Garros and against Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open last year.

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And by reaching his second French Open final in three years, the world No 3 equalled an all-time record. Friday's semi-final victory over Mensik was Zverev's 44th at Roland Garros, helping him equal former Spanish player David Ferrer's record for most wins at the clay-court Grand Slam in the 'Open Era' without having ever won the event.

The ongoing tournament has also witnessed only the second instance of a player reaching a Grand Slam final without facing an ATP top-20 opponent along the way since Rafael Nadal at the 2010 French Open. Zverev, incidentally, had also achieved the feat at the 2020 US Open in which he made his maiden appearance in a Grand Slam final.

Can Zverev finally conquer the final hurdle? 

Zverev has been a strong favourite to lift the trophy following Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic's early exits in the second and third round respectively, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz having withdrawn from the tournament due to a wrist injury last month.

And for now, the two-time ATP finals champion will be hoping to conquer the final hurdle after coming so close multiple times in the past.

"This is a Grand Slam, it's best of five, things are going to happen, opponents are going to play better. I managed it," Zverev said after his victory on Friday.

"I hope to play another great match on Sunday," he added.