United News of Bangladesh

Alexander Zverev captured his maiden Grand Slam title on Sunday, defeating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in a five-set thriller to win the French Open at Roland Garros. The third-seeded German secured a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 victory in more than four hours to claim the first major title of his career in his fourth Grand Slam final. With top rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz absent from the final, Zverev made the most of the opportunity on the Paris clay. The 28-year-old sealed the victory when Cobolli missed an overhead shot on the second championship point. Overcome with emotion, Zverev fell to the court and celebrated his long-awaited breakthrough. Receiving the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy, Zverev dedicated the triumph to years of perseverance, recalling both his success and heartbreak at Roland Garros. “This court is so special to me,” he said after the match, referring to the serious ankle injury he suffered during the 2022 French Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal and his defeat in the 2024 final. Zverev now joins a select group of players who won their first Grand Slam title in their fourth major final, including Andre Agassi, Goran Ivanisevic and Dominic Thiem. The victory marks a significant milestone for Zverev, who had long been regarded as one of the best players yet to win a Grand Slam title.

World No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev withdrew from the United Cup mixed teams tennis tournament on Wednesday with a biceps strain less than two weeks from the start of the Australian Open. The 27-year-old Zverev won his opening two singles matches of the season against Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro and China’s Zheng Zhizhen at the United Cup. He was scheduled to face Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan in Perth in the United Cup quarterfinals, but withdrew at the last minute with Kazakhstan leading the tie 1-0 after Elena Rybakina beat Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-1. Read: Australian Open lookahead: Djokovic returns after COVID ban “Alexander Zverev has withdrawn from the United Cup due to a bicep strain,” organizers said. “Daniel Masur will take his place for Team Germany in today’s singles match against Kazakhstan.” Zverev has not won a Grand Slam singles title, finishing as runner-up in the 2020 U.S. Open and the 2024 French Open. The Australian Open begins Jan. 12.