PARIS -- After one of the most dramatic French Opens in recent history, with a string of surprises and stunning upsets, the men's event comes down to this: Alexander Zverev will take on Flavio Cobolli in the championship decider Sunday -- two players in the top 10 in the live rankings, each vying for his first Grand Slam title.
The gap in experience is vast. Second-seeded Zverev is into his fourth Grand Slam final after a four-set win over Jakub Mensik on Friday, while Cobolli, who received a walkover into the final after Matteo Arnaldi's late withdrawal, had been to only one quarterfinal in a major until this week.
Cobolli will be fresh after 3½ days off, but Zverev has been waiting for this moment for several years.
Here's how both men can win, and who might come out on top.
Zverev defeated Cobolli on clay in Madrid and has significantly more Grand Slam experience. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Why Zverev will win It's his time. This will be the German's fourth Grand Slam final and, with the exception of the first one, when he faltered two points from victory against Dominic Thiem at the US Open in 2020, he has done little wrong in the others.
There have been times, especially when he was crushed by Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final last year, when Zverev wondered if he would ever get another chance. But here he is, the last big name standing in a tournament where all the other big names have gone.
Zverev has dropped just two sets on his way to the final and has looked good throughout the fortnight. A few years ago, his second serve was a weakness; now it's a strength, with his total of 66% of points won on second serve the third best in the event. He's third in points won on serve +1, finishing the point with his first shot after a serve, and he has coped well with everything that has been thrown at him, taking out the new Spanish sensation, Rafael Jodar, in the quarters and then Mensik in the semis.
With no Carlos Alcaraz in the event and Sinner and Novak Djokovic going out in rounds 2 and 3, respectively, Zverev has done exactly what he needed to, not expending too much energy on his way to a fourth Slam final.
This is his biggest chance to win a major, and he's not about to let it slip.
Cobolli has had 3½ days of rest coming into the final, which could help his chances. Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images Why Cobolli will win Because he's fresh and because clay is his best surface.