Bergs stuns Alcaraz in Shanghai for the biggest win of his career

Zizou Bergs produced the result of his career on Monday in Shanghai, beating second seed Carlos Alcaraz 7-5, 7-6(4) in the third round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The world No. 39 from Belgium sealed it on his first match point with his ninth ace, after two hours and two minutes on court.

The upset had consequences far beyond the Belgian's own draw. With Alcaraz out, nobody can catch Alexander Zverev in the rankings race, meaning the German is now confirmed as the 2026 year-end world No. 1.

Nerves at 6-5, composure in the tiebreak

Bergs was the more aggressive player from the opening games, attacking from the baseline and finishing at the net to keep Alcaraz from dictating rallies. He took the first set 7-5 and broke again in the second to lead 6-5, only to falter when serving for the match as the Spaniard broke back to force a tiebreak.

The 27-year-old did not let the moment get away a second time. He controlled the breaker 7-4 and closed it out with an ace. Across the match, Bergs struck 24 winners to Alcaraz's 16 and converted three of his four break points, according to Sky Sports. Belgian outlet DH reports that it was only the third top-10 win of his career.

The pair's only previous meeting had gone the other way: Alcaraz beat Bergs 6-4, 6-3 in Tokyo in September 2025.

"What just happened?"

Asked to sign the courtside camera, Bergs wrote "What just happened?" He later explained that he was still too absorbed in the match for a big celebration: "I was just more like, Oh, what the hell's going on? So that's why I wrote down, like, what happens."

The Belgian also reflected on the mental barrier he says he has had to overcome against the game's elite. "Too much respect for (top players), which is part of my culture and I'm proud of that. But it gets a little bit in the way when you have to play them," he said. "I feel like now I really can win against these guys. Not just I can play against them, but I can win against them."

Moustached Alcaraz cruises past Cerundolo in Shanghai opener

Alcaraz frustrated with conditions

For Alcaraz, it was a painful end to his Asian swing. The Spaniard said his level had been "really low" and that he made too many errors, describing it as one of the defeats that had hurt him most recently. He also took issue with the balls, saying they felt bigger and slower than in his opening match and that it was "something they should look into".

Elsewhere on Monday, fifth seed Daniil Medvedev beat qualifier Dalibor Svrčina 6-2, 6-3 and will meet Stefanos Tsitsipas, who came from a set down to beat 11th seed Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Fourth seed Félix Auger-Aliassime got past Pablo Carreño Busta 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.

Paul next for Bergs

A year ago, Bergs reached his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in Shanghai. To match that run, he must now beat Tommy Paul, who knocked out defending champion Valentin Vacherot to set up the fourth-round meeting with the Belgian.