Mensik vs Zverev - 14:30 CEST
Match news and form
Jakub Mensik's chances in almost every round of this French Open campaign were questioned, not because of his ability, but because of his history of struggling with the physical demands of best-of-five-set tennis. Yet time and again, he has proved those doubts wrong. In particular, his last three performances have been outstanding.
After taking down Alex de Minaur in four sets and Andrey Rublev in five, he produced perhaps his most impressive display yet by dismantling the dangerous and in-form Joao Fonseca in straight sets, a match in which his composure and big-match temperament were clearly superior to those of the Brazilian.
Mensik has already achieved several impressive feats in his young career, including winning the Miami Masters title and scoring major victories over the likes of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. However, his inability to make a significant impact at Grand Slams had remained a notable gap in his résumé until now.
This French Open run appears to have changed that. He has become the first player born in 2004 or later to reach a Grand Slam semi-final and the youngest Czech man to make the final four of a major since Ivan Lendl in 1980.
Alexander Zverev has been uncharacteristically efficient and clinical in capitalizing on the opportunity that has opened up before him. Following the exits of Sinner and Djokovic, which dramatically improved his title prospects, Zverev has played three matches and conceded just one set, a run highlighted by an impressive straight-sets victory over the in-form Rafael Jodar in the quarter-finals.
He has handled the pressure remarkably well, winning his matches with little fuss and showing very few signs of nerves. Now, all he needs to do is maintain that composure for two more winnable matches, which could finally bring an end to his long and often heartbreaking wait for a maiden Grand Slam title.
Zverev has played four French Open semi-finals already, while none of the other three semi-finalists had ever reached this stage of a Grand Slam before this tournament. Even so, there can be no room for complacency, particularly given how problematic semi-final matches have been for the German this year.
He has lost five of his six semi-final appearances in 2026, including a defeat to Flavio Cobolli in Munich, a trend that has played a major role in his ongoing title drought. It is a hurdle he must overcome in Paris if he is to make the most of this golden opportunity and leave with the trophy he has long been chasing.
Head-to-head
Zverev leads 1-0. Their only previous meeting came at the Madrid Masters a few weeks ago, where Mensik pushed the match to a deciding set and even earned an early break in the decider. However, Zverev responded well under pressure, fighting back to secure a hard-fought three-set victory.
Stats & facts
Mensik has an impressive 4-3 record against top-five players in his career.
Mensik holds a winning 3-2 career record in tour-level semi-final matches.
Zverev has lost seven of his ten Grand Slam semi-final appearances.
This is only Zverev's second Grand Slam semi-final against a player ranked outside the top 10. The previous occasion came at the 2020 US Open, where he also defeated world No. 27 Pablo Carreno Busta in five sets.
Zverev has won 21 of his last 22 tiebreaks at the French Open.
Betting analysis
Mensik has often been viewed as vulnerable in the best-of-five-set format because of his physical limitations, but this semi-final almost feels like a fresh start for him. He is coming off a straight-sets win in the quarter-finals and has benefited from a day of rest, so he should be in a much better place physically than in the previous rounds. Add in his fearless ability to raise his level against elite opponents, and he is more than capable of causing Zverev plenty of problems.
While this match is expected to be close and highly competitive, Zverev is still expected to come through. The German is the more proven player physically in long matches, has far greater experience navigating the latter stages of Grand Slams, and owns an outstanding tiebreak record at Roland Garros, something that should give him the belief that he can prevail even if the contest becomes extremely tight.
Mensik in 2026
Best results: Auckland (title)
Best results on clay: French Open (semi-finals)
Record: 23-9
Record in the last 10 matches: 7-3
Record on clay: 8-3
Record against top-10 players: 2-2 (career 10-10)
Record in Grand Slam semi-finals: 0-0 (career 0-0)
Record in semi-finals: 1-1 (career 3-2)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (round of 16)
Mensik at the French Open
Career record: 6-1
Best result: semi-finals (2026)
Last year's result: round of 64
Record in semi-finals: 0-0
Preparation: Madrid (round of 16), Rome (round of 64), Hamburg (round of 16)
Road to the semi-finals: Droguet (6-3, 6-2, 6-4), Navone (6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6), (8) De Minaur (0-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3), (11) Rublev (6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3), (28) Fonseca (6-4, 6-3, 7-6)
Zverev in 2026
Best results: Madrid (final)
Best results on clay: Madrid (final)
Record: 33-9
Record in the last 10 matches: 8-2
Record on clay: 18-4
Record against top-30 players: 11-7 (career 183-145)
Record in Grand Slam semi-finals: 0-1 (career 3-7)
Record in semi-finals: 1-5 (career 41-43)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (semi-finals)
Zverev at the French Open
Career record: 43-10
Best result: final (2024)
Last year's result: quarter-finals
Record in semi-finals: 1-3
Preparation: Madrid (final), Rome (round of 16)
Road to the semi-finals: Bonzi (6-3, 6-4, 6-2), Machac (6-4, 6-2, 6-2), Halys (6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2), De Jong (7-6, 6-4, 6-1), (27) Jodar (7-6, 6-1, 6-3)
Arnaldi vs Cobolli - 19:00 CEST
Match news and form
The workload on Matteo Arnaldi's legs during this campaign has been enormous, and it finally showed in the quarter-finals, where he made a sluggish start and was being thoroughly outplayed before Matteo Berrettini broke down physically and retired. It was not the level of performance normally required to win a Grand Slam quarter-final, but Arnaldi got the bit of luck he desperately needed.
In fact, a victory via retirement was probably the best possible outcome for him after spending more than 10 hours on court across his previous two matches, as the shortened contest and the extra day of rest gave him a valuable opportunity to recover and arrive in the semi-final in much better physical condition.
Even if Arnaldi is unable to raise his level to the standard required for the semi-finals, this remains an extraordinary run for the Italian. Not only is it his first Grand Slam semi-final, but achieving it under the current circumstances makes it even more significant.
Before this campaign, he had not reached a single quarter-final at tour level in 2026, was struggling badly for wins, and had slipped outside the top 100 due to a prolonged spell of poor form and fitness concerns. Now, all of those problems appear firmly behind him. This remarkable run has revived his career and is set to propel him back toward the top 30, a position he occupied before those setbacks stalled his progress.
The pattern of Flavio Cobolli's season has been fairly straightforward. Either he exits early, or once he finds some rhythm, he turns it into a really deep run. He has followed that same script at this French Open, taking full advantage of a favorable draw with wins over Andrea Pellegrino, Yibing Wu, Learner Tien, and Zachary Svajda.
Then, in his first major test of the tournament, he produced a strong comeback performance against world No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime, rallying from a set down to reach the first Grand Slam semi-final of his career.
Despite the inconsistency Cobolli has shown this season, his ability to offset those dips with a handful of big results has kept him comfortably inside the top 20, which is an achievement in itself. He has now taken things a step further by breaking into the live top 10 for the first time in his career.
One more win in the semi-finals would all but secure his place there next week, ahead of Jakub Mensik, who is also chasing a maiden top-10 breakthrough. The Czech, however, would need to go on and win the title in Paris to move ahead of Cobolli in the rankings.
Head-to-head
Arnaldi leads 3-2. All five of their previous meetings have come on clay, with Arnaldi holding a narrow edge. At the tour level, however, they are tied at 1-1, with Cobolli winning their most recent meeting at the 2025 French Open.
Stats & facts
Arnaldi has lost 8 of his last 9 matches against top-20 players.
Arnaldi holds a 0-3 career record in tour-level semi-final matches.
Cobolli has an 8-3 record in the French Open main draw, with all three defeats coming against top-15 players.
Cobolli is 7-3 against players ranked outside the top 100 this year and is currently on a six-match winning streak against them.
Betting analysis
There is not a huge gap between these two players despite what the rankings may suggest, especially considering Arnaldi's ranking was heavily affected by the fitness issues that derailed much of his season. Their head-to-head record also reflects how evenly matched they are, with both possessing different strengths and both fully capable of beating the other.
That said, Cobolli appears to hold a clear edge in physical freshness. He has dropped only two sets all tournament, while Arnaldi has endured several grueling battles. Add to that Arnaldi's 0-3 record in tour-level semi-finals, and asking him to earn his first semi-final win on the Grand Slam stage may be a bit too much. Despite Cobolli's occasional off days and Arnaldi's outstanding fighting spirit, this looks like Cobolli's match to lose.
Arnaldi in 2026
Best results: French Open (semi-finals)
Best results on clay: French Open (semi-finals)
Record: 14-9
Record in the last 10 matches: 9-1
Record on clay: 13-6
Record against top-20 players: 1-1 (career 11-27)
Record in Grand Slam semi-finals: 0-0 (career 0-0)
Record in semi-finals: 0-0 (career 0-3)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (round of 128)
Arnaldi at the French Open
Career record: 10-3
Best result: semi-finals (2026)
Last year's result: round of 64
Record in semi-finals: 0-0
Preparation: Madrid (qualifying), Cagliari challenger (title), Rome (round of 32)
Road to the semi-finals: (29) Griekspoor (6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3), Tsitsipas (7-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2), Collignon (6-4, 6-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6), (19) Tiafoe (7-6, 6-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4), M. Berrettini (7-5, 5-2 ret.)
Cobolli in 2026
Best results: Acapulco (title); Munich (final)
Best results on clay: Munich (final)
Record: 23-12
Record in the last 10 matches: 7-3
Record on clay: 14-5
Record against outside top-100 players: 7-3 (career 166-97)
Record in Grand Slam semi-finals: 0-0 (career 0-0)
Record in semi-finals: 2-1 (career 5-2)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (round of 128)
Cobolli at the French Open
Career record: 8-3
Best result: semi-finals (2026)
Last year's result: round of 32
Record in semi-finals: 0-0
Preparation: Madrid (quarter-finals), Rome (round of 32), Hamburg (round of 32)
Road to the semi-finals: Pellegrino (6-4, 7-6, 6-3), Yibing Wu (6-4, 6-4, 6-4), (18) Tien (6-2, 6-2, 6-3), Z. Svajda (6-2, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6), (4) Auger-Aliassime (4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4)