Zizou Bergs produced the biggest win of his career on Monday, beating second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz 7-5 7-6(4) in the Shanghai Masters round of 32. The unseeded Belgian broke the Spaniard's serve three times in a scrappy two-hour, two-minute contest, joining Novak Djokovic and US Open runner-up Ben Shelton among the high-profile casualties at the Masters 1000 event.
Alcaraz, 23, was playing his first tournament since defending his Japan Open title after a lengthy wrist injury layoff. He returned at the US Open in late August and reached the quarterfinals, but never found his rhythm in Shanghai.
Bergs, who lost to Alcaraz in the last 16 of last year's Japan Open, said the win was a long time coming. "This is something that has been very tough for me," he said. "I often have too much respect for these guys, which is part of my culture... To have this moment, for me it is a little bit of a relief. I feel like now I really can win against these guys."
The result also guaranteed French Open and US Open champion Zverev, 29, the ATP's year-end world number one ranking, making him the first German and the oldest first-time player to achieve the feat. Zverev's path opened after Jannik Sinner, who has not played since beating him in the Wimbledon final on July 12, was sidelined with a knee injury. The five-time major winner will also miss the ATP Finals in Turin, where he has lifted the trophy in each of the last two years.
"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," Zverev said. "So much work and effort have been put into achieving this goal, especially after coming back from the ankle injury." Zverev next faces Kazakhstan's 19th seed Alexander Bublik in the round of 16.