Bergs Knocks Alcaraz Out in Shanghai, Zverev Is No. 1

Serving for the match at 6-5 in the second set, Zizou Bergs was broken back by Carlos Alcaraz, who forced a tiebreak. Bergs led it 3-1, it was 4-4, and then the Belgian won three points in a row. The Spaniard lost the Shanghai Masters third-round match 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) after two hours and two minutes, and Alexander Zverev secured the year-end No. 1 ranking on the ATP list as a result.

How did Bergs beat Alcaraz?

Bergs, ranked 39th in the world, got the first break and led 3-2 in the opening set. Alcaraz broke back quickly, but the Belgian took his serve again in the 11th game and, after a long fight on his own serve, closed the set 7-5. He converted his fourth set point, a little under an hour into the match.

In the second set both players held serve until 5-5. When Bergs earned a break for 6-5, Alcaraz did not let him close out the match, but in the tiebreak the Belgian was calmer on the key points. He stayed composed even though the Spaniard pulled back a break in each set.

The win levels their head-to-head record at 1-1. In the round of 16 Bergs plays the winner of Tommy Paul against Valentin Vacherot. This is the season in which he also won the first title of his career, in Eastbourne.

What does Alcaraz’s loss mean for the ATP rankings?

Alcaraz is third in the rankings and was the tournament’s second seed. After the loss he cannot return to No. 1 before the end of the season. In Shanghai he has again failed to reach the semifinals: the previous two times he stopped in the quarterfinals. The defeat comes after a title in Japan, which had suggested that he was back to winning ways after a long injury layoff.

Zverev told the official ATP website:

“It has been a fantastic season behind me, in which I won in Paris and New York, and knowing that I will finish the year at the top of the rankings is a dream come true for me. A lot of work and effort went into reaching this goal, especially after coming back from an ankle injury. I am looking forward to finishing the season in style.”

The German won the French Open and the US Open this season. ATP announced on X that Zverev had secured the year-end No. 1 and that he is the first German to do so. RTS adds that he is also the oldest player to finish a year at the top for the first time.

The figures seem to clash at first glance, but they describe two different things. “First German” refers to the year-end No. 1. At the very top of the ATP list right now is Jannik Sinner, who is injured for the rest of the season, and Zverev officially gets there on November 2: he will be the 30th player in history to hold the top spot and the second German after Boris Becker in 1991.

For the fifth year in a row, a different player will finish the season on top. After Novak Djokovic, who was No. 1 at the end of 2020 and 2021, the spot went in turn to Alcaraz, Djokovic, Sinner, Alcaraz again, and now Zverev.

Where does Djokovic stand in the race for Turin?

At the same tournament, Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 after two hours and 13 minutes. Fritz is 12th in the world and three places behind Djokovic in the race for the Tour Finals, with 2,530 points. That is exactly 310 points fewer than the Serb. Tsitsipas plays the winner of Daniil Medvedev against Dalibor Svrcina in the next round.

Rafael Jodar spoiled the good news: he beat Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 and, with 2,609 points, trails Djokovic by 231, which is 50 fewer than before. His next opponent in the round of 16 will be the winner of Arthur Fils against Botic van de Zandschulp.

We reported earlier that Djokovic was ninth in the race, and RTS now has him eighth, in the last spot that leads to the Tour Finals. He could drop out of it as early as Tuesday, if Alex de Minaur beats Karen Khachanov in the Shanghai round of 16. Djokovic has only the Paris Masters at the start of November left to play this season, his last chance to keep the place. The Tour Finals in Turin run from November 15 to 22.