By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, October 12, 2026
Photo credit: United Cup
Zizou Bergs blasted an exclamation point ace to punctuate a powerful statement.
On match point, Bergs pounded an ace down the T, sealing a 7-5, 7-6(4) upset of Carlos Alcaraz in style to burst into the Rolex Shanghai Masters round of 16 with his biggest win.
The 39th-ranked Bergs out-served Alcaraz becoming the lowest-ranked man to beat the third-ranked Spaniard since his compatriot, world No. 55 David Goffin, upset Alcaraz at the 2025 Miami Open.
Bergs snapped the Tokyo champion’s seven-match winning streak in a masterful two hour, two-minute performance.
It’s not only Bergs’ biggest win, by ranking, but it also ensures reigning Roland Garros and US Open champion Alexander Zverev surpasses injured Jannik Sinner to clinch the season-ending world No. 1 ranking for the first time.
It’s only the fifth loss of the season for Alcaraz, who was previously beaten by Ben Shelton at the US Open, Jannik Sinner in the Monte-Carlo final, Sebastian Korda in Miami and Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells.
Though Alcaraz fought hard, he struggled to solve Bergs’ wide serve on the deuce side, lost control of his vaunted forehand on some pivotal points and saw Bergs serve with authority hitting a serve winner for match point then drill his ninth ace to end it.
Overall, Bergs smacked 24 winners—eight more than the Australian Open champion—and enjoy a 12 to 4 edge in forehand winners.
The pair traded breaks in the fifth and sixth games.
In a sloppy 11th game, Alcaraz clanked a double fault and scattered two forehand errors gift-wrapping the break and a 6-5 lead to Bergs after 49 minutes of play.
In a tense 12th game, Alcaraz saved three set points.
Launching himself up into a twisting serve, Bergs converted his fourth set point when Alcaraz netted a forehand dropper. Bergs was the more consistent player, winning the 58-minute opening set.
Holding a one-set lead, Bergs left court for about a seven-and-a-half minute clothing changes as Alcaraz stood near the back wall chatting with coach Samuel Lopez waiting for the Belgian’s return.
Both men protected serve with vigilance throughout the second set until Alcaraz’s forehand failed him in the 11th game. Alcaraz missed a pair of forehands to face break point then jerked a forehand wide ceding the break and a 6-5 lead.
Bergs served for the match, but Alcaraz was not done.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion made a tremendous forehand get, then stuck a low backhand slice drawing a Bergs error to break back and force the tiebreaker.
Still, Bergs banged a heavy serve down the T to go up 4-2 before double-faulting to put Alcaraz back on serve in the tie break.
Self-sabotage cost Alcaraz who committed an error to fall behind 4-5.
The 6’1” Bergs sealed a superb win with the service winner and his ninth ace drawing praise from Alcaraz at net and leaving fans with a question of his own.
“What just happened???” Bergs wrote on courtside camera lens, reaching the round of 16 a year after his Shanghai quarterfinal surge.
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