Alexander Bublik loses to future world No. 1 in Shanghai
Kazakhstan's top men's singles player Alexander Bublik, world No. 22, has exited the Shanghai Masters in the round of 16, Qazinform News Agency reports.
In a hard-fought three-set match, the Kazakhstani tennis player lost to top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany, ranked No. 2 in the world.
The match was tense throughout, and Alexander Bublik gave the favorite a real fight. The Kazakhstani won the second set 6-4. However, the other two sets went to tiebreaks, where the German player was more reliable and precise. Bublik lost both thrillers in the shortened games 6-8, 1-7.
Zverev advanced to the quarterfinals, while Bublik bowed out after a valiant effort.
Notably, Alexander Zverev is guaranteed to rise to world No. 1 in the ATP rankings on November 23, 2026, when the season's final rankings are published (and will finish the year as the top-ranked player). Under certain scenarios (strong performances in Shanghai and Vienna), he could officially take the throne even earlier — on November 2.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina remains world No. 1 despite her Wuhan Open withdrawal.