Zizou Bergs stuns Alcaraz in Shanghai as Zverev secures year-end No. 1

Belgium's Zizou Bergs knocked Carlos Alcaraz out of the Shanghai Masters on Monday, beating the second seed 7-5, 7-6(4) in a little over two hours to reach the fourth round.

Bergs is ranked No. 39 in the world. Measured by his opponent's ranking, this is the biggest win of his career, and it levels his head-to-head record with the Spaniard at one win each. He broke Alcaraz's serve three times and won close to four in five points on his first serve.

A nervy finish

Bergs served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but was broken. In the tie-break he led 3-1, then double-faulted, before winning three points in a row from 4-4 to close it out.

Afterwards, Bergs said he had often shown "too much respect" to the game's leading players. He added that he now felt he could beat them. Alcaraz said he had made too many unforced errors and could not find a way to deal with his opponent's serve. Alcaraz is a seven-time Grand Slam champion, and he had arrived in Shanghai after defending his Japan Open title.

Zverev confirmed as year-end No. 1

The upset settles the race for the top of the rankings. Alexander Zverev, who won the French Open and the US Open this year, is now guaranteed to finish 2026 as world No. 1. He will be the first German man to do so. Jannik Sinner, his closest rival in recent seasons, has been out since the Wimbledon final in July with a knee injury.

Zverev called the achievement "a dream come true". He next faces Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in the round of 16. Bergs will play either defending champion Valentin Vacherot or Tommy Paul for a place in the quarter-finals.

Upsets in Shanghai

Several top names have now fallen early at this year's tournament. Novak Djokovic and US Open runner-up Ben Shelton are also out, which leaves the draw open as the season moves towards the ATP Finals in Turin.