Shanghai: Zizou Bergs pulled off a major upset at the Shanghai Masters on Monday, defeating second seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to secure a place in the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
Ranked No. 39 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Bergs stunned the World No. 3 with a 7-5, 7-6(4) victory inside the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. Delivering an impressive all-round performance, the Belgian capitalised on the fast court conditions and broke Alcaraz’s serve three times to register the biggest win of his career in terms of ATP ranking.
“This is something that has been very tough for me. I often have too much respect for these guys, 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. I had a great moment here last year against [Novak] Djokovic where I was definitely playing the name, not the guy," Bergs said, when asked about getting a win against one of the biggest stars on the ATP Tour.
“The more experience you have practising against them and playing matches, the more it becomes the new standard a little bit. 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. Not just that I can play against them, but I can win against them," he added.
With his two-hour, three-minute victory against Alcaraz, Bergs simultaneously ensured that Alexander Zverev will finish 2026 with ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. Zverev, who is the current World No. 2, will become the first German to finish as year-end No. 1.
Having reached his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in Shanghai a year ago, Bergs will bid to equal that run when he takes on Tommy Paul in this year’s fourth round.