The world No. 3 Alexander Zverev progressed to the last 16 at Roland Garros with a 6-2, 7-6(4), 6-1 third-round victory over 26th-ranked Flavio Cobolli.
Zverev has now reached at least the fourth round of the French Open in his last eight appearances.
The German is aiming to make the semi-finals at the Paris Grand Slam for the fifth consecutive year. He was a runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz last year, while he fell in the last four in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
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If Zverev reaches the quarter-finals, he is likely to face No. 6 seed and three-time French Open champion Novak Djokovic.
The 28-year-old is projected to meet world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals, while second seed and reigning champion Alcaraz could await in the final.
After beating Cobolli, Zverev revealed he is convinced Alcaraz will reach the championship match as he candidly played down the threat of the seven other players remaining in the bottom half of the draw.
“I honestly think Carlos will be in the final,” Zverev proclaimed in his press conference.
“To be very fair, I don’t think there’s anyone on that side of the draw that will challenge him too much.
“He’s the favourite, of course. Before coming into the tournament, I think everyone kind of realised that.
“All the people who can challenge him, all the contenders outside of him, are on the top half of the draw. We will have to really battle it out and I’ll think he’ll enjoy watching it.”
While Alcaraz is a heavy favourite to reach the final, both Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune are potential semi-final opponents for the Spaniard.
Zverev also shared his thoughts on his win against Cobolli.
“The level was quite high in the second set,” the three-time major finalist assessed.
He was up twice with a break. I started feeling the heat a lot, but I was fighting. I was fighting through it. I was coming back all the time, and, you know, I’m happy of course to win the second set.
“I think that was very, very important. Also, I think it gave me a mental advantage in the third set in the beginning, and I kind of ran away with it. So I’m always happy with the outcome of that.”
The German will face world No. 35 Tallon Griekspoor in the fourth round at Roland Garros.
