Flavio Cobolli, currently ranked 16 in the world, dethroned Alexander Zverev from the Munich Open, one of his favourite tournaments (he has won it three times, including last year) in a clinical victory 6-3, 6-3, to set up a final with Ben Shelton (13:30 CEST on Sunday) in the ATP 500 tournament on clay.
The win, his first victory against a Top 5 player, led him to his fourth final in the ATP circuit, after winning the Tiriac Open in Romania (ATP 250) and the Hamburg Open (ATP 500) in 2025; and the recent Mexican Open in February 2026, another ATP 500 tournament, against Frances Tiafoe. Cobolli said it was a little bit tough to play against him because Zverev is one of his best friends on Tour, "he's a really good guy and we have a good relationship with everyone on his team".
But Cobolli, 23, was very emotional during the match on Saturday, as it had been less than 24 hours since he learned of the passing of a close friends from his tennis academy, Mattia Maselli, who was only 13-years-old. After the match, he broke down in tears, and later dedicated the victory to his memory. "Every point I play, every ball I touch, every step I take, I will think of you. Tennis school will never be the same without you, but I promise you will never be forgotten".
