Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reacts after losing his men's singles match against Zizou Bergs at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai, China, October 12, 2026. /VCG
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock 7-5, 7-6 defeat by unseeded Belgian Zizou Bergs in the Shanghai Masters round of 32 on Monday, a result that also confirmed Alexander Zverev as the ATP's year-end world number one.
Fresh from defending his Japan Open title with a victory over Czech Jiri Lehecka and building momentum after a lengthy wrist injury layoff, Alcaraz never found his rhythm in a scrappy two-hour, two-minute contest.
"It's a little disbelief and not feeling too much," Bergs, 27, said afterwards. "You're just really in the moment, being focused on the points you have to play," he added.
The second-seeded Spaniard, who was sidelined for nearly five months before returning at the US Open in late August and reaching the quarter-finals, joined 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and US Open runner-up Ben Shelton among the high-profile casualties at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
The upset also ensured that French Open and US Open champion Zverev, 29, will finish the season as the ATP year-end world number one, becoming the first German to achieve the feat.
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