Zverev clinches year-end No. 1 as Zizou Bergs stuns Alcaraz 7-5, 7-6 at the Shanghai Masters
Zizou Bergs beat second seed Carlos Alcaraz 7-5, 7-6(4) in Shanghai on Monday, a result that guarantees Alexander Zverev will finish 2026 as world No. 1.
The race for the 2026 year-end No. 1 ranking was settled on Monday, 12 October, in a third-round match at the Shanghai Masters that Alexander Zverev did not even play. Belgium's Zizou Bergs, ranked 39th, beat second seed Carlos Alcaraz 7-5, 7-6(4), and that defeat means Zverev cannot be caught at the top of the men's game before the season ends.
Bergs pulls off the biggest win of his career
Bergs had lost his only previous meeting with Alcaraz, but he was the steadier player at the key moments in Shanghai. He broke serve to lead 6-5 in the opening set and served it out after Alcaraz netted on set point.
The second set followed a similar pattern until the finish line. Bergs broke again for 6-5 but could not close out the match on serve, and Alcaraz broke straight back to force a tiebreak. The Spaniard recovered from 4-2 down in the breaker to level at 4-4, yet Bergs took the last three points and converted his first match point with his ninth ace.
The Belgian finished with 24 winners to Alcaraz's 16. Afterwards he said the result had changed his belief: he now feels he can beat the top players rather than simply compete with them. The defeat ended a strong Asian swing for Alcaraz, who had won the Japan Open title the previous week.
Why the result hands Zverev the top spot
Zverev, 29, has had the best season of his career. He won his first two Grand Slam titles at the French Open and the US Open, reached the Australian Open semi-finals and lost the Wimbledon final to Jannik Sinner in July.
Sinner, currently ranked No. 1, has not played since that Wimbledon final and announced last week that inflammation in his right knee will keep him out for the rest of the season. With Alcaraz now out of Shanghai, nobody can overhaul Zverev's points total.
According to the ATP Tour, Zverev will become the oldest player to finish a season at No. 1 for the first time. He finished 2024 as world No. 2. The earliest date he can officially climb to No. 1 is 2 November, and the year-end position is locked in when the final rankings are published on 23 November. "It's been a fantastic season for me winning in Paris and New York," the German said.
Other third-round results in Shanghai
Bergs was not the only player to knock out a big name on Monday. Tommy Paul beat defending champion Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2 to set up a fourth-round meeting with the Belgian, while Stefanos Tsitsipas came from a set down to beat 11th seed Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime needed three sets to get past Pablo Carreño Busta 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, and fifth seed Daniil Medvedev beat Dalibor Svrcina 6-2, 6-3.
Zverev himself is still in the draw. The top seed had come through a three-set opener against Quentin Halys on Sunday and was scheduled to face Alexander Bublik in the fourth round on Tuesday, 13 October.
What it means for the rest of the season
With the No. 1 question answered, the remaining weeks of the ATP season become a fight for titles and for the last places at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin. Shanghai is in the same time zone as Malaysia (UTC+8), so local fans can follow the closing rounds without late nights.
For Alcaraz, the loss is a setback rather than a crisis: he arrived in China in form and leaves with the Tokyo title. For Bergs, it is a breakthrough that puts him into the last 16 of a Masters 1000 event with real momentum.
Key takeaways
- Zizou Bergs, ranked 39th, beat second seed Carlos Alcaraz 7-5, 7-6(4) in the Shanghai third round on 12 October.
- The result guarantees Alexander Zverev will finish 2026 as world No. 1.
- Zverev won the French Open and US Open this year; Jannik Sinner is out for the season with a right knee problem.
- Tommy Paul knocked out defending champion Valentin Vacherot, and Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Taylor Fritz.
FAQ
Who beat Carlos Alcaraz at the 2026 Shanghai Masters? Belgium's Zizou Bergs, ranked 39th, won 7-5, 7-6(4) in the third round on Monday, 12 October.
When will Alexander Zverev officially become world No. 1? The earliest possible date is 2 November. His year-end No. 1 finish is confirmed with the final rankings on 23 November.
Why is Jannik Sinner not in contention? Sinner has not played since the Wimbledon final in July and has withdrawn for the rest of the season with inflammation in his right knee.
Sources: Associated Press, ATP Tour, TSN