Shock Carlos Alcaraz defeat sees Alexander Zverev make history as year-end world No 1

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Carlos Alcaraz suffered an unwanted Shanghai Masters surprise as he was handed a shock third-round defeat by Zizou Bergs to confirm Alexander Zverev as year-end world number 1.

Alcaraz won his 27th career title in Tokyo last week but was surprisingly lacklustre as world No 39 Bergs surged to a 7-5, 7-6 (4) victory over the seven-time grand slam champion.

The Spaniard’s defeat, combined with the continued injury absence of Jannik Sinner, means Zverev will end 2026 as world No 1 and the German makes history as the oldest man to achieve that feat for the first time.

Set to be 29 years, 217 days old on the date of the year-end rankings (23 November), Zverev will be three days older than Andre Agassi was in 1999 (29 years, 214 days) and 20 days older than Andy Murray was in 2016 (29 years, 197 days). He is also the first German to end the year on top of the men’s rankings.

He had previously finished inside the top 10 of the year-end rankings eight times, and inside the top five on five occasions, leaving him delighted to accomplish another goal after a season in which he won his first two grand slams at the French Open and US Open.

“It’s been a fantastic season for me winning in Paris and New York and knowing that I will finish the year on top of the rankings is just a dream come true,” Zverev said. “So much work and effort have been put into achieving this goal, especially after coming back from the ankle injury. I look forward to finishing the season in style.”

Alex Zverev will be year-end world No 1 for the first time (Getty)
Carlos Alcaraz (right) lost to Zizou Bergs (Reuters)

As for Alcaraz, he not only lost the match to end a seven-game winning streak but may well also lose his facial hair now, after promising to keep his moustache for the duration of the Masters 1000 events as part of a bet with his team. That obligation is now complete but the day belonged to Belgian star Bergs after the biggest win of his career.

“It’s a bit of disbelief,” said Bergs when asked to reflect on the winning moment. “It’s a moment where you don’t really realise what’s going on. I’m going to have to calm down. I’m very happy how I handled the tiebreak.

“This has been tough for me, I often have too much respect for these guys. To have this moment is a relief. I feel like I can win against these guys.”

Elsewhere at the Shanghai Open, American Taylor Fritz suffered a dramatic collapse against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Fritz led by a set and had dropped just three points on his first serve until the final game of the second set but Greek world No 43 Tsitsipas secured a break to level the match and went on to win 3-6, 7-5 ,6-3.