Carlos Alcaraz has crashed out of the Shanghai Masters after suffering a third-round defeat to unseeded Belgian Zizou Bergs, while Alexander Zverev has reportedly secured the year-end world No. 1 ranking.
Bergs, ranked 39th in the world, defeated the Spaniard 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) on Monday to record the biggest victory of his career.
The Belgian recovered after failing to serve out the match at 6-5 in the second set before holding his nerve in the tie-break to complete the upset.
Alcaraz, who won the Japan Open in Tokyo last Tuesday, had been chasing his ninth ATP Masters 1000 title but was unable to overcome Bergs, who converted three of four break points and hit 24 winners against the Spaniard’s 16.
Alcaraz’s exit, alongside Jannik Sinner’s reported early end to his season because of a knee injury, was said to have confirmed Zverev as the year-end world No. 1 for the first time.
Zverev described the achievement as a dream come true, saying: “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.”
Speaking after his victory over Alcaraz, Bergs admitted that excessive respect for established stars had sometimes affected his performances.
“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,” he said.
Bergs recalled facing Novak Djokovic at the same tournament last year, explaining that he had focused too much on the Serbian’s reputation rather than his game.
“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,” he added.
Bergs will face American Tommy Paul in the next round after Paul defeated defending champion Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2.
Elsewhere, 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev advanced to the fourth round with a straight-sets victory over qualifier Dalibor Svrcina. He will face Stefanos Tsitsipas, who defeated 11th seed Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
In the women’s Wuhan Open, Britain’s Sonay Kartal continued her comeback following a six-month absence caused by a back stress fracture.
Kartal defeated Anhelina Kalinina 7-5, 6-2 to set up a second-round meeting with ninth seed Belinda Bencic.