Alexander Zverev is in search of his first Grand Slam title, and with Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz out, this will be the perfect opportunity for him to capitalize on.
Zverev is facing Jakub Mensik, who beat Joao Fonseca in straight sets in his previous match, in the French Open semifinals.
Find my French Open preview and Zverev vs Mensik prediction for Friday below.
Alexander Zverev vs Jakub Mensik Player Prediction
- Zverev vs Mensik Pick: Alexander Zverev to Commit Under 2.5 Double Faults
My Zverev vs Mensik best bet is on Zverev to commit under 2.5 double faults. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live French Open odds page.
Zverev vs Mensik Odds
| Alexander Zverev Odds | -445 |
| Jakub Mensik Odds | +332 |
| Spread | Zverev -1.5 (-175), Mensik +1.5 (+120) |
| Over/Under | 36.5 (-125o / -115u) |
| Zverev-Mensik H2H | 1-0 |
| Time | How to Watch | Friday, 8:30 a.m. ET | TNT, MAX, truTV |
| Odds via DraftKings | |
Zverev vs Mensik Preview, Prediction
Alexander Zverev Betting Preview
Zverev is a 29-year-old German who's ranked third in the ATP rankings.
He has a huge, unique chance to win the first Grand Slam of his career. It's almost impossible to find a more favorable context than this: Without Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic, he's a huge favorite for the title and the player who's spent the least amount of time on the court.
All of the advantages are on his side. However, it remains to be seen how he'll withstand it mentally. We know what they say about Zverev: That he gives in under pressure and that he can't concentrate in key moments.
He's lost all three Grand Slam finals he's played in, but only in the first one — the one vs. Dominic Thiem — can it be said that he completely gave in to the stakes of the match. Otherwise, the failures against Alcaraz and Sinner weren't egregious.
He's extremely fast and skillful for his height, and his return game is very efficient. He doesn't make many unforced mistakes, he manages the difficult moments very well and a Grand Slam trophy would crown his career and turn him into a Hall of Famer.
He still has two steps to go, though.
Last season was quite good for Zverev, with appearances in the final at the Australian Open and Vienna and with semifinal berths in Cincinnati and Paris.
The new season has been even better, although he doesn't have any trophies. He did reach at least the semifinals in all the major tournaments: Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid. Each time he lost either to Alcaraz or Sinner.
Only in Rome did he have a more modest result, as he was eliminated early by Luciano Darderi.
At Roland Garros, Zverev quickly became a huge favorite after the second-round elimination of Sinner. He handled the pressure well, although he started poorly in matches against Jesper de Jong and Rafael Jodar.
However, the fact that he defeated Jodar 3-0 is proof that he's in shape and focused. He only lost one set all tournament, to Quentin Halys, and on Friday, I think it's his last really tough test.
Obviously, the final has a different stake and pressure, but he'll start a huge favorite, regardless of whether it's Matteo Berrettini, Felix Auger-Aliassime or a Flavio Cobolli.
Jakub Mensik Betting Preview
Mensik is a 20-year-old Czech who's ranked 20th in the ATP.
He's a great talent, an athlete who could win Grand Slams in the future. He was as high as 12th in the world, his peak, but I think we'll see him in the top 10 soon because he has a dominant game, which can cause problems regardless of the surface.
If we look at his physique, he's a giant who specializes on fast courts. He excels on hard courts, where he's already the Masters champion, and is also very dangerous on grass. Next month, at Wimbledon, I wouldn't exclude him from the championship picture.
Considering that he's extremely young, practically at the beginning of his career, I expect visible progress in the coming years. There's a lot of talk about Jodar and Fonseca, but Mensik must be put in the same category as them, a potential future great champion.
Last season was quite good for Mensik, as he had a very important trophy, the Miami Masters, where he beat Djokovic in the final, 7-6 7-6. He showed that he's very strong mentally. He recorded a quarterfinal berth in Madrid, but he also many missed competitions.
The new season has started well for him, with a trophy in Auckland. Unfortunately, at the Australian Open, he suffered an injury and had to withdraw just before the match with Djokovic. On clay, he hasn't impressed, until this tournament.
At the French Open, he's improved. He won with difficulty with Mariano Navone, a match that ended when he could no longer walk, and then he had an extremely tight match with Andrey Rublev (five sets). He seemed to lack energy, but he came back excellently in the fifth set.
In the quarterfinals against Fonseca, he was dominant, completing his best match in recent months. The positive side is that he won 3-0, so he's recovered physically — at least I think. He needs to maintain, or even raise his level, if he wants to prevail today.
Alexander Zverev vs Jakub Mensik Predictions, Betting Analysis
Mensik has played very poorly this clay season. For example, he recently lost 0-6, 3-6 to Ignacio Buse in Hamburg. At Roland Garros, he was on the verge of elimination against Navone and Rublev, but versus Fonseca in the quarterfinals, he was extremely solid.
I don't think he'll prevail in this match, but the outcome will depend a lot on his current form.
Zverev has been the most dominant player in this tournament, losing only one set so far. He's been on the court very little, he's rested and his serve has been strong.
For example, he only gave up a break in the first set against Jodar. He often plays with the first serve and generally commits few double faults. He had seven against Halys, but that was an exception.
Since then, he has two double faults in the last two matches. I therefore believe that Zverev will commit under 2.5 double faults.
Pick: Alexander Zverev to Commit Under 2.5 Double Faults
