Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback run hit an unexpected setback Monday, when Belgium’s Zizou Bergs knocked him out of the Shanghai Masters, ending the Spaniard’s chances of finishing the season as the world’s top-ranked player. Bergs, ranked No. 39, won 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the third round. The result also secured the year-end No. 1 ranking for Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
For Alcaraz, the defeat came less than a week after he successfully defended his Tokyo title. The 23-year-old had won seven consecutive matches and was rebuilding momentum after a wrist injury kept him off the tour for four and a half months. He returned at the U.S. Open, reaching the quarterfinals, and has won 11 of his 13 matches since coming back. Monday’s loss interrupted that progress against an opponent who took advantage of Shanghai’s fast courts and repeatedly moved forward to pressure him.
Bergs broke Alcaraz’s serve three times and won 79% of the points played behind his own first serve. But the Belgian still had to recover from a missed opportunity to finish the match. Serving at 5-4 in the second set, Bergs was broken as Alcaraz fought his way back into contention. The set reached a tiebreaker, where Bergs steadied himself and won the final three points from 4-4 to complete the upset.
“I feel like now I really can win against these guys,” Bergs said afterward. Alcaraz acknowledged that his opponent had played well, but said his own performance fell short, particularly when important points were at stake. “In a few important moments I didn’t play my best,” he said. His next scheduled tour event is the Paris Masters in November. Before then, he plans to review his matches with his coaching team and return to practice.
The result added Alcaraz to a list of prominent departures from Shanghai that already included Novak Djokovic and American Ben Shelton. For Zverev, it settled the season’s ranking race after a year that included titles at the French Open and U.S. Open. He becomes the first German to have the ATP’s year-end No. 1 position.
Bergs advances to face American Tommy Paul, who defeated defending champion Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-2. A victory would put Bergs into the Shanghai quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
