Alexander Zverev wins the French Open to finally earn a 1st Grand Slam title

PARIS (AP) — Alexander Zverev is no longer one of the best players never to win a major title.

He’s finally a Grand Slam champion.

In his fourth major final, Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 for the French Open title on Sunday.

It was a unique opportunity for Zverev without Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz across the net and the third-ranked German took full advantage on the red clay of Roland Garros.

When Cobolli missed an overhead on the second championship point after more than four hours of the five-set encounter, Zverev dropped on his back to the clay and covered his face with his hands as he began sobbing. When he got up, with his shirt and arms covered in clay, Zverev put his hands back on his face before he lifted both arms in celebration.

Zverev has now joined an elite group of players that captured their first major in their fourth final: Eight-time major champion Andre Agassi, 2001 Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic and 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem.

Zverev had been an overwhelming favorite for the title ever since the top-ranked Sinner struggled in the first week’s heat wave and wasted a two set and 5-1 lead against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the second round. A day later, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was also eliminated.

Alcaraz, the two-time reigning champion, withdrew before the tournament with an injured right wrist.

It was Zverev’s second French Open final, having wasted a lead of two sets to one against Alcaraz in the 2024 championship match.

Zverev had an even bigger advantage — two sets to none — in the 2020 U.S. Open final and lost that one, too, to Thiem. He was also beaten in straight sets by Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final.

It was the 25th title of Zverev’s career.

The 14th-ranked Cobolli had never been past a Grand Slam quarterfinal until this week. He was attempting to become the first Italian man to raise the singles trophy at Roland Garros since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.

Cobolli comes from the same tennis club in Rome as Panatta did and Panatta was asked by tournament organizers to present the Coupe des Mousquetaires to the champion to celebrate the anniversary of his 1976 triumph.

The honors, however, were going to Zverev.

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva won the women’s singles trophy on Saturday.

The match was played in perfect conditions and Zverev’s game was almost flawless at the start.

Zverev broke Cobolli’s serve in a long opening game when Cobolli shanked a forehand into the first row of the stands. The break came after Zverev had a bit of luck when a backhand return hit the net but dribbled over on game point for Cobolli.

A group of women in the stands held up letters to form Zverev’s nickname: “Sascha.”

Cobolli likes to stand way over near the corner of the court and hit big kick serves out wide into the ad court. Zverev knew what was coming and returned one such kick serve early in the first set with a backhand that he wrapped around the outside of the net post. Cobolli ended up winning the point, but it was a message from Zverev that he knew how to handle his opponent’s tactics.

The next time Zverev hit a wrap-around-the-net-post return, Cobolli couldn’t handle it and Zverev won the point.

Cobolli’s supporters in his box were all dressed in blue, the color of Italy’s national teams, and as Cobolli worked his way back into the match, there were chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole; Flavio, Flavio.”

After Zverev held for a 6-5 lead in the fourth, he had his upper right leg treated by a trainer. Then Zverev wasted a 3-1 lead in the tiebreaker, which Cobolli concluded with a forehand winner up the line that produced a roar from the crowd.

But Cobolli appeared to run out of energy in the fifth, running down a drop shot only for Zverev to then pass him up the line for a 3-0 lead and a double break.

Moments after Zverev’s previous Grand Slam final in Australia in 2025, a person in the stadium yelled out the names of two of his ex-girlfriends who accused him of physical abuse.

One case was resolved following an agreement between German prosecutors, lawyers for Zverev and his former partner. The ATP Tour investigated another case and concluded there was insufficient evidence.

AP Sports Writers Samuel Petrequin and Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates after winning the men's final match against Flavio Cobolli of Italy at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts after winning the men's final match against Flavio Cobolli of Italy at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Fans of Alexander Zverev of Germany support him before the men's final match against Flavio Cobolli of Italy at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Alexander Zverev of Germany returns to Flavio Cobolli of Italy during their men's final match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Italy's Flavio Cobolli reacts during the final tennis match against Germany's Alexander Zverev at the French Open in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Germany's Alexander Zverev returns during the final tennis match against Italy's Flavio Cobolli at the French Open in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts as he plays against Flavio Cobolli of Italy during their men's final match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Italy's Flavio Cobolli returns to Zachary Svajda of the United States during the fourth-round tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Italy's Flavio Cobolli reacts after winning the quarterfinal tennis match against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime at the French Open in Paris, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Germany's Alexander Zverev serves to Czech Republic's Jakub Mensik during the semifinal tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Germany's Alexander Zverev returns to Czech Republic's Jakub Mensik during the semifinal tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvians were choosing between two presidential hopefuls with starkly different views Sunday as they elect their ninth head of state in 10 years amid growing concerns about crime.

Keiko Fujimori, a conservative and daughter of a disgraced former president, and Roberto Sánchez, a nationalist congressman, beat 33 other candidates in the first round in April, but neither earned even 20% of support. Pollsters estimate that roughly 30% of voters remained undecided.

Sunday’s results were expected to be tight, and the outcome may not be known for days. Electoral authorities took more than a month to declare Fujimori and Sánchez the winners of that vote.

Voting is mandatory for Peruvians aged 18 to 70. More than 27 million people are registered, and of those, about 1.2 million are expected to cast ballots from abroad, mainly in the United States and Argentina.

Official results from April’s election showed Fujimori received 17% of the vote and Sánchez got 12%. More than six weeks later, a nationwide poll conducted by Ipsos found that similar shares of voters were supporting the candidates, with about 3 in 10 saying they were undecided.

Fujimori is linked to the authoritarian and corrupt legacy of the government of her late father, Alberto Fujimori, in the 1990s. She became Peru's first lady in 1994 after her parents’ separation.

Sánchez is one of the closest allies of jailed former President Pedro Castillo, whom many perceive as corrupt and chaotic. Castillo’s 16-month term saw more than 70 Cabinet changes.

Both candidates voted in the capital, Lima.

Surging crime, particularly extortion, remains the overarching concern for voters. A 2025 national survey carried out by the state’s National Institute of Statistics and Informatics found that 84% of respondents in urban areas feared becoming victims of a crime in the following 12 months.

Experts attribute the increasing power of organized crime in Peru to the profits that decades-old criminal groups are earning from illegal gold mining in the Andes and the Amazon.

For most of her fourth presidential campaign, Fujimori promised to crack down on crime. Her proposals include implementing technology to track extortion, militarizing borders and increasing the presence of police and military personnel in high-risk areas. Fujimori, 51, has also said that prisoners will be required to work and “repay society.”

In the only debate before the runoff, Fujimori defended her father’s government and promised to defeat crime just as he defeated the Shining Path, a violent extremist group.

Sánchez, a former minister now popular with rural voters, has pledged to combat corruption within the police force and promote reforms that would enable the military to support security efforts.

The 57-year-old, who wears a wide-brimmed peasant hat gifted by Castillo, told debate viewers that he would be open to “all options to generate jobs and progress” but also emphasized his support for Chinese investments.

Sánchez has tried to ease the concerns his candidacy is generating among investors, saying he will not nationalize any assets of transnational companies that extract minerals or gas from Peru.

The United States ambassador to Peru, Bernie Navarro, stopped by a voting center in Lima on Sunday. Upon leaving, he told the television station Latina his visit was to “observe and ensure that there is transparency here.”

Navarro added that the U.S. "wants to work with any candidate who is elected.”

Sunday's winner will be sworn in next month.

Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City.

Presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez of the Together for Peru party arrives to vote during the presidential runoff election in Lima, Peru, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, of the Popular Force party, waves after voting during the presidential runoff election in Lima, Peru, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

A soldier guard a polling station during the presidential runoff election in Lima, Peru, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A voter marks his ballot during the presidential runoff election in Lima, Peru, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, of the Popular Force party, greets supporters before voting in the presidential runoff election in Lima, Peru, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

A police officers guard the site where presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori of the Popular Force party meets supporters for breakfast during the presidential runoff election in Lima, Peru, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Voters arrive at a polling station during the presidential runoff election in Lima, Peru, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori of the Popular Force party greats supporters before heading to vote during the presidential runoff election in Lima, Peru, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Voters arrive to a polling station during the presidential runoff election in Lima, Peru, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

A worker removes a campaign banner of presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori of the Popular Force party placed near a polling station in Lima, Peru, Saturday, June 6, 2026, ahead of Peru's presidential runoff election. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez of Together for Peru party addresses supporters during his closing campaign rally in Lima, Peru, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

A supporters hols a banner of presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori during her closing campaign rally in Lima, Peru, Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Members of the military stand in formation before their departure to protect polling places in Lima, Peru, Friday, June 5, 2026, ahead of their presidential runoff election. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

People line up to collect their national identity cards ahead of Peru's presidential runoff election in Lima, Peru, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)