Alexander Zverev will finish 2026 as the world’s No. 1 tennis player, and he clinched it on Monday without hitting a ball.
Zizou Bergs beat Carlos Alcaraz 7-5, 7-6(4) in the third round of the Shanghai Masters, and Alcaraz’s exit made the year-end ranking mathematically settled. Zverev becomes the first German to finish a season at No. 1.
Bergs Had the Match of His Life
The 27-year-old Belgian is ranked No. 39 and had never beaten anyone close to Alcaraz’s level. He broke the second seed three times and won 79 percent of his first-serve points, 37 of 47, over two hours and three minutes at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.
It was not a clean finish. Bergs served for the match at 5-4 in the second set and got broken. He then won three straight points from 4-4 in the tiebreak to end it.
“I feel like now I really can win against these guys,” Bergs said. On the finish: “I’m very happy how I handled the tie-break.”
He faces either defending champion Valentin Vacherot or Tommy Paul next. His head-to-head with Alcaraz is now 1-1.
Zverev Earned This in the Majors
The 29-year-old won the French Open and the US Open this year, his first two Grand Slam titles after a decade of being the best player without one. He also reached the Australian Open semifinals and the Wimbledon final.
That is a season no reasonable person argues with. Two majors, four deep runs, and now the ranking to match.
“Just a dream come true,” Zverev said.
The Sinner Factor Is Real and Worth Naming
Jannik Sinner has not played since losing to Zverev in the Wimbledon final in July. On Oct. 6 he announced he is out for the rest of 2026 with inflammation in his right knee.
Zverev beat him in that final, so this is not a case of a rival withdrawing before they could meet. It is still true that the field thinned considerably in the second half of the year, and the year-end No. 1 arrives with Sinner having played half a season.
That takes nothing away from two majors. It is context, not an asterisk.
The Mechanics From Here
Zverev is currently ranked No. 2 and can take over the top spot as early as Nov. 2. The final rankings of Nov. 23 make it certain regardless.
He plays Alexander Bublik in Shanghai on Tuesday, in a tournament that no longer decides anything about his year. Everything that mattered was settled by a Belgian ranked 39th in the world.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.