French Open 2026 Day Thirteen Recap

Day 13 at Roland Garros was a wierd semi-final day that by no means actually delivered the drama or high quality followers would usually count on from the ultimate 4 of a Grand Slam.

The opening semi-final not less than produced some aggressive tennis, with Alexander Zverev as soon as once more trying like essentially the most steady and full participant left within the draw as he ended the spectacular run of Jakub Menšík to maneuver inside one win of the Slam title that has narrowly escaped him all through his profession.

However the second semi-final by no means even bought began after Matteo Arnaldi withdrew shortly earlier than taking the courtroom resulting from a viral sickness, sending Flavio Cobolli into his maiden Grand Slam closing through walkover. It was a disappointing consequence for the Paris crowd, notably given the character of the all-Italian semi-final and the anticipation surrounding it.

After two weeks full of countless five-setters, collapses, and chaos, the event has considerably fizzled out and now comes right down to a closing between the steadiest participant left within the draw and the explosive however inconsistent Cobolli. Hopefully it reignites on Sunday to shut out an fascinating fortnight.

Day 13 French Open 2026 Semi-Closing Outcomes

Winner
Loser
Rating

Flavio Cobolli (10)
Matteo Arnaldi
Walkover

Alexander Zverev (2)
Jakub Mensik (26)
7-5 6-2 3-6 6-3

Alexander Zverev (2) def. Jakub Mensik (26) 7-5 6-2 3-6 6-3

Alexander Zverev moved to inside one win of a long-awaited first Grand Slam title on Friday, ending the spectacular Roland Garros run of Jakub Menšík to succeed in the ultimate in Paris for the second time in three years.

After a event dominated by upsets and countless five-set battles, Zverev as soon as once more appeared just like the calmest and most full participant left standing within the draw.

The German dealt with Menšík’s energy and tactical variation for a lot of the competition, repeatedly dragging the Czech teenager into prolonged baseline exchanges quite than permitting him to dictate with first-strike tennis.

The opening set proved essential on this one as Menšík briefly appeared able to taking early management when he earned three break factors at 4-4 with a slick sliding backhand winner, however Zverev responded nicely, saving all three earlier than instantly punishing the missed alternative with a break of his personal at 5-5.

The Czech blended in serve-and-volley, drop pictures and frequent internet approaches to cease Zverev settling into repetitive baseline patterns, and for stretches it labored nicely.

Nevertheless, the distinction between his internet recreation and his floor recreation grew to become more and more apparent because the match wore on, and Zverev tightened his grip.

Menšík appeared comfy ending factors ahead within the courtroom, however his baseline consistency merely wasn’t on the identical stage as Sascha’s.

General, I believed his tennis appeared lacklustre. Generally a 2-day relaxation isn’t all it’s cracked as much as be for restoration, and even in that first set, he appeared a tad weary.

After an off-court medical timeout early within the third set, Menšík got here again refreshed, utilizing much more variation and shorter angles to disrupt Zverev’s rhythm. The tactic labored nicely for a spell because the 20-year-old immediately started enjoying with extra freedom and aggression, taking the third set to briefly increase hopes of one other comeback.

However in contrast to a number of gamers earlier on this event, Zverev refused to let momentum swing away from him, instantly resetting at the beginning of the fourth set, racing right into a 3-0 lead earlier than managing the match confidently from there.

His serving once more proved an enormous weapon (75% 1st serves in and 79% 1st serve factors gained) underneath stress, whereas his willingness to flatten out his groundstrokes and play a bit extra proactively has arguably been the largest distinction in his tennis this fortnight.

Not a semifinal to recollect by way of stage, however I like the best way Zverev managed his recreation and the circumstances.