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Chasing an elusive grand slam title as the only big gun not to suffer a first-week defeat, second seed Alexander Zverev squares off against first-time major semifinalist Jakub Mensik for a spot in the final.
The pair met for the first time in April, Zverev holding on for a hard-fought 6-4 6-7 6-3 victory at the Madrid Masters.
Zverev, the 2024 French Open runner-up among three grand slam final losses, has dropped just one set on his way to the semis – to Quentin Halys in the third round. He’s otherwise dominated Benjamin Bonzi, Tomas Machac, Jesper De Jong and Spanish wunderkind Rafael Jodar.
The 26th-seeded Mensik has had to dig deep, outlasting Mariano Navone and 11th seed Andrey Rublev in five-setters either side of his four-set victory over eighth seed Alex de Minaur.
But the 20-year-old went up a gear to dispose of Brazilian teen Joao Fonesca (who eliminated Novak Djokovic) 6-4 6-3 7-6 in the quarters. Mensik only reached the fourth round of a major for the first time at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Zverev’s time to lift a trophy on the biggest stage is imminent – and he’s showing no signs of the expectation and gilt-edged opportunity getting to him. The may be the German’s toughest test so far, but he should be able to navigate it.
Despite Jannik Sinner’s shock early exit, an Italian will feature in the 2026 French Open men’s final via this semifinal showdown between world No.104 Matteo Arnaldi and 10th seed Flavio Cobolli.
Arnaldi has a 3-2 advantage over Cobolli, while the ledger at ATP level is square at one-all. Arnaldi won in straight sets at Umag in 2023; Cobolli claimed a four-set victory in the second round at Roland Garros last year.
Neither have been to a grand slam semi before.
Arnaldi’s charge has been one of the more unlikely in recent grand slam history, going winless in 2026 until last month’s Rome Masters.
But he’s seen off Tallon Griekspoor and Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets, Raphael Collignon and 19th seed Frances Tiaofe in five, and was leading Matteo Berrettini 7-5 6-2 when his compatriot retired.
Tenth seed Cobolli has been even more convincing, beating Andrea Pellegrino, Yibing Wu and 18th seed Learner Tien in straight sets, then seeing off Zachary Svajda and fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in four-setters.
It’s a continuation of a strong 14 months that has included three ATP titles from four finals (three of which were on clay) and a Wimbledon quarterfinal run.
It’s also a more reliable long-term formline that provides Cobolli with a distinct advantage heading into the biggest match of both players’ career to date.