Alexander Zverev reached the French Open final for a second time with a four-set win over Jakub Mensik that simultaneously showcased why he is the overwhelming favourite for the title, and also highlighted the psychological burden that has so often held him back on the biggest stage.
The second seed looked to be racing towards a straight-sets win over a listless Mensik, who has played two gruelling five-setters at Roland Garros and been troubled by physical niggles this week. The 20-year-old took a medical timeout as he led 2-1 in the third set and seized momentum shortly after his return, winning the third set 6-3 as Zverev grew increasingly frustrated with his own errors.
The German regrouped in the fourth, breaking early and holding on for a 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win, but this match was evidence once again of his lack of killer instinct and passivity in big moments, which have seen him left heartbroken in his three previous grand slam finals.
His celebration was fairly muted and he was succinct afterwards: “Amazing the way he played this week, he beat some amazing players, I knew it would be the toughest challenge so far. I won, I’m happy.”
Tellingly, asked about nerves, he said: “There is nothing in my head. To be honest, as athletes, very few of us have anything in our head anyway. Sometimes it is easier to be stupid.”
It was spoken with feeling, and for obvious reasons. Zverev has been the overwhelming favourite for the title since the surprise exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic in the first week in Paris, and goes into the final with even greater pressure as he will play world No 14 Flavio Cobolli after Matteo Arnaldi withdrew with illness.
But while finals are a different and often bruising matter for the German, as he appeared in his 11th slam semi his experience on this stage told. Czech youngster Mensik has spent four hours more than him on court and collapsed with heat exhaustion after his second round win, and was in unfamiliar territory, having never reached this point of a major before.
His game relies on a precise serve and clinical groundstrokes mixed with a deft touch at the net, and they were all limited in their efficiency under the bright Parisian sunshine on Friday. Zverev meanwhile was solid in all areas, pummelling from the baseline and deploying the occasional languid drop shot of his own.
Each of Mensik’s opening three service games went to deuce but he withstood the pressure and earned three break points at 4-3 with a superb backhand arcing down the line, the trademark shot that has helped him this far. But he played too passively, wasting a rare look-in on the clean and brutal Zverev serve, shanking two forehands long and into the net before hitting wide.
And at 5-5 in the first he played a sloppy service game, double-faulting twice, and Zverev pounced. The 28-year-old looked to be in cruise control from then on; it would take until the third set for Mensik to earn another break point.
It was an oddly subdued occasion. The crowd’s boredom was evident from the occasional random heckles of “let’s go Djokovic” or “let’s go Casper” disturbing the players as they served, from some chancers who probably had bought tickets for this semi-final long in advance, expecting quite different people in it.
Two breaks in the second set, the second handed over with a tame double fault, and as Mensik’s usually trusty backhand wing broke down, meant the German was rarely troubled. As is his wont he became tetchy after a run of unforced errors as Mensik held easily for 3-2; with the finish line in sight, he began to crack.
And the crowd suddenly came alive as Mensik broke for a 4-2 lead, another fizzing backhand volley suddenly igniting the match, and Zverev faced his first real test. The Czech, usually rather unreadable, fist-pumped the crowd and they responded by throwing themselves behind him.
He held for a 5-2 lead, then served out the set with a brilliant combination of serve-volleying and another one of his signature slice drop shots; they were erratic on Friday but this one, coming at the end of a bruising baseline exchange, was inch-perfect.
Suddenly this was a proper semi-final – but while Mensik had done well to get himself back in, it was largely because of Zverev’s lack of ruthless edge, his inability to close out what had looked like a straightforward straight-sets win.
Nonetheless, Mensik’s haphazard shot selection and poor first serves – he hovered around the 55 per cent mark all match – meant he was never able to be as competitive as he was against Joao Fonseca in a superbly clinical quarter-final.
He dropped serve early in the fourth set and was repeatedly put under pressure, while Zverev continued to complain at line calls despite the match continuing to go his way, and offered a petulant shrug as he was given a time violation warning at a change of ends. But his serve remained impeccable and Mensik’s resistance broke.
But Cobolli, watching from the players’ area, would no doubt be encouraged by this first semi-final and the small fissures appearing under pressure. This French Open is not over yet.
