From rivals to allies? Flavio Cobolli talks his link with Alexander Zverev after surprise victory
Photo by Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images Flavio Cobolli is through to his second final of the season after beating Alexander Zverev in the Munich Open semi-finals. Fresh off his Mexican Open victory earlier this year, Cobolli took down the defending champion Zverev in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, extending his remarkable form in Munich. The Italian hasn’t dropped a set all tournament and hasn’t even needed a tiebreaker to get through any of his matches so far.
This win over Zverev marks just the second top-10 victory of his career and his first against a player ranked inside the top five. Currently ranked 16th in the world, Cobolli now sits just one win away from adding a fourth title to his tour-level tally. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup Flavio Cobolli speaks out after winning over Alexander Zverev in Munich During his post-match interview, Cobolli spoke about the impact Zverev has had on his career, saying: “[That was] one of my best matches ever.
He (Zverev) is one of my biggest friends on tour. He’s very inspiring for me, and he’s a really good guy. “His team has helped me a lot during the season.
We have a good relationship also with everyone on his team. “So it was also a little bit tough to play against him. I’m a little bit shy when I play with a big player.
But today I think I played one of my best matches. “I’m really happy about the performance, about how I managed the difficult periods during the match. Now I think I’m ready to fight again, and we’ll see how it happens tomorrow.