Carlos Alcaraz was dumped out in the third round of the Shanghai Masters as Zizou Bergs recorded the biggest win of his career, with the Spaniard’s defeat confirming Alexander Zverev as the year-end world No 1.
Bergs beat the second seed 7-5 7-6 (7-4), recovering to win the second set in a tie-break after failing to serve out the match at 6-5.
Alcaraz’s exit, coupled with current world No 1 Jannik Sinner ending his campaign early due to a knee problem that has sidelined him since Wimbledon, means Zverev will end 2026 top of the rankings.
Zverev, who won the French Open and US Open this summer for his maiden major titles, said of his achievement: “It’s been a fantastic season for me winning in Paris and New York and knowing that I will finish the year on top of the rankings is just a dream come true.
“So much work and effort have been put into achieving this goal, especially after coming back from the ankle injury. I look forward to finishing the season in style.”
‘I often have too much respect for these guys’
Alcaraz, who won the Japan Open in Tokyo last Tuesday, was chasing a ninth ATP Masters 1000 title and his first of an injury-hit season.
However, it is Bergs who will now face either defending champion Valentin Vacherot or Tommy Paul in the next round.
Bergs converted three of the four break points he manufactured – Alcaraz went two from two on that metric – and notched 12 forehand winners compared to the Spaniard’s four.
The world No 39 said: “It is a bit of disbelief and not feeling too much. It is one of the moments you don’t really realise what it going on, you are just in the moment, focused on the points you have to play
“I am very happy how I handled the tie-break. It is never easy when you get broken serving for the match but in the tie-break I played the key moments and served big.
“I often have too much respect for these guys. That is part of the culture and I am proud of that but it is a little bit in the way when you play them.
“I had a moment here last year against Novak Djokovic where I was definitely playing the name not the guy, so to have this moment [against Alcaraz] is a relief.
“I now feel I can win against those guys, not just play against them.”
Elsewhere, 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev – defaulted at last week’s China Open in Beijing after hitting a fan with a ball while facing Djokovic in the semi-finals – joined Bergs in round four after a straight-sets victory over qualifier Dalibor Svrcina.
Medvedev will take on Stefanos Tsitsipas next after the Greek upset 11th seed Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-5 6-3.
Kartal continues encouraging comeback with victory in Wuhan
At the Wuhan Open in China, Britain’s Sonay Kartal defeated top-50 opponent Anhelina Kalinina to set up a second-round clash with ninth seed Belinda Bencic.
Kartal recently returned from a six-month absence with a stress fracture in her back, reaching the third round of the Beijing Open last week in her first WTA tournament back.
The British No 5 – whose compatriot Katie Boulter begins her campaign against 11th seed Diana Schnaider on Tuesday – won 7-5 6-2 win in 91 minutes, hitting four aces.
Kartal said: “I’ve thrown myself in the deep end, playing [my] first few events playing the best players in the world. It’s definitely a challenge, but I’m happy with the level that I’ve managed to produce.
“There is still got a long way to go to get to back where I left off, but I’m happy. It’s looking positive and I’m feeling good.”
In the most eye-catching match of the day, Xiyu Wang thrashed namesake Xinyu Wang 6-2 6-0, with Xiyu’s reward a second-round tie against Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova.
This result was an upset with Xiyu ranked 91st in the world and Xinyu at 39.
Stream ATP and WTA Tour tennis with no contract on NOW and through the Sky Sports App. The Shanghai Masters and Wuhan Open run until Sunday October 18.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
