Zverev beats Halys for 60th win, two away from year-end No. 1

Alexander Zverev is two wins away from securing the year-end No. 1 ranking. The top seed at the Shanghai Masters beat Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3 in the third round on Sunday, and according to the ATP he will clinch the year-end top spot if he reaches the semi-finals.

The win, which took 2 hours and 17 minutes, was Zverev's 60th tour-level victory of 2026. He has now reached that mark for the third time in his career, after 60 wins in 2018 and 69 in 2024.

No break points faced, two match points missed

On paper, the German was in control. He did not face a single break point all match. In the first set, he worked hard for his chance, creating seven break points before converting one, according to Tennis Up To Date, and that break was enough to take the set.

The second set went to a tie-break, where Halys saved two match points and levelled the match with an overhead smash to win it 10-8. Zverev quickly recovered in the decider, broke early and served it out.

The head-to-head now stands at 4-0, with all four meetings coming this year. Halys had already taken him to five sets at the US Open. "He plays unbelievably aggressive and he serves incredible," Zverev said, calling the Frenchman "probably the best server in men's tennis right now for his height." He added that he hopes Halys earns a seeding soon so the two stop meeting so early in draws.

The ankle question has not fully gone away, though. Zverev appeared to tweak his left ankle in his opening win over Wu Yibing, and Tennis Temple reported that he again seemed to be bothered by an ankle late in the third set against Halys. There was no official word on an injury after the match.

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A big week in the No. 1 race

The setting could hardly be better for the world No. 2. With Jannik Sinner missing Shanghai through injury, Zverev was handed the top seeding, and several other contenders have already gone. Novak Djokovic lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the second round, and on Sunday third seed Ben Shelton was beaten by Frenchman Arthur Géa.

Zverev's 2026 season has already been the best of his career at the majors. He won Roland Garros and the US Open, and reached the Wimbledon final. This is his fourth time in the last 16 in Shanghai.

Bublik next

Standing between Zverev and the quarter-finals is 19th seed Alexander Bublik. The Kazakh came through a tight match against Brandon Nakashima 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-6(5) on Sunday. Two more wins, the next one against Bublik, would put Zverev in the semi-finals and confirm him as year-end No. 1.