By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Alexander Zverev on Sunday ended his years of Grand Slam drought capturing his maiden Grand Slam title with a hard-fought five-set victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in the French Open men’s singles final at Roland Garros.
The 29-year-old German, who had lost all three of his previous Grand Slam finals, overcame a spirited challenge from the 24-year-old Italian to win 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 in a thrilling contest lasting more than four hours.
Zverev appeared on course for a comfortable victory after dominating the opening set and edging ahead in the third. However, Cobolli, playing in his first Grand Slam final, displayed remarkable resilience, taking the fourth set in a tense tie-break to force a decider.
With memories of painful defeats in the 2020 US Open, 2024 French Open and 2025 Australian Open finals still fresh, Zverev showed nerves of steel in the fifth set. He broke early and raced to a commanding lead before sealing the biggest victory of his career.
The triumph marks a defining moment for the no 2 seed German, who has long been regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation but had struggled to convert opportunities on tennis’s biggest stage.
For Cobolli, the defeat was disappointing but his remarkable run to a maiden Grand Slam final signals the arrival of a major new force in men’s tennis. The Italian entered the tournament as an outsider but produced a series of impressive performances to reach the championship match.
As Zverev dropped to the clay in celebration, the Paris crowd saluted a champion who finally fulfilled his Grand Slam destiny after years of near misses.
Zverev also became the first player after Henner Henkel who was the last German player to win the French Open in 1937.