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".
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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".