By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Photo credit: Shaun Brooks/CameraSport
Stress swirled around Alexander Zverev in Shanghai tonight.
Gimpy from an ankle issue and pushed to a third-set tie break by explosive nemesis Alexander Bublik, Zverev tamed trouble with ambitious shot-making.
Zverev bolted a pair of aces in the tie break out-dueling Bublik 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(1) to battle into his 120th career quarterfinal, including his 40th ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal, at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The reigning Roland Garros and US Open champion will face Alex de Minaur for a semifinal spot.
Earlier, the ninth-seeded de Minaur defeated Karen Khachanov, 6-3, 6-4.
It was Zverev’s first win over Bublik since the 2023 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters as he improved to an ATP-best 61-14 record on the season.
“I start to feel my ankle last match. I then actually, in the warm up, it was good,” Zverev said. “In the
beginning, in the first set it was also good, I felt fine.
“But the longer the match went on, in the middle of the second set, it started to be a bit worse. But if you know, I’ve never retired in a tennis match in my life, except 2022 Roland Garros, where I really couldn’t walk. So I want to keep that going. I don’t want to retire with no reason. But, yeah. Again, I fought through, and I won, I’m happy about that.”
The top-seeded Zverev served 77 percent and pumped 15 aces, including slamming an ace out wide to close a demanding two hour, 37-minute clash.
It is Zverev’s first match since Zizou Bergs beat Carlos Alcaraz yesterday, ensuring Zverev clinched the season-ending world No. 1 ranking for the first time. The 29-year-old Zverev joins Boris Becker as the second German man to rise to No. 1 and will be the first German man to hold the year-end top spot.
“It is very, very special,” Zverev said of his rise to No. 1. “It’s different than winning big tournaments or Grand Slams. It’s a different sort of feeling.
“I feel like as world No. 1 you have responsibility on your shoulders but I’m looking forward to that. I’m close to 30 years old, it’s special to achieve that at my age.”
Bublik, who had won three of four prior meetings with Zverev, earned four set points in the opening tie break. But Bublik, who never met a ball he didn’t think he could drop shot, twice went to the drop shot only to see Zverev run it down and respond with shots down the line.
On his fourth set point, Bublik had a good look at a forehand but dragged it wide. That miss proved very costly. Zverev slid a forehand pass for set point then attacked knocking off a volley winner to close a tight opening set.
A frustrated Bublik clanked three double faults, but still stood firm working through a near eight-minute hold to even the second set after four games.
Zverev framed a forehand to face a break point in the following game. Attacking behind a backhand, Bublik drew the errant pass breaking for 3-2. It was just the second time Zverev lost serve in the tournament.
By then, the US Open champion seemed to be pained by an ankle injury though he was chasing down several of his opponent’s drop shots.
Serving for the set at 5-4, Bublik denied a break point in a tremendous all-court exchange that saw Zverev blanket the net until Bublik pushed him back with a drive down the line and a drop shot to save it.
On his third set point, Bublik drew a framed forehand to snatch the second set and force a decider after one hour, 51 minutes.
Tossing his Head racquet down on his court-side seat, Zverev plopped down for changeover.
When play resumed, Bublik again tormented the German with the drop shot—by then he’d played the dropper about 25 times—earning the break to start the decisive set.
Bublik followed with one of his sloppiest games, netting his eighth double fault to gift the break back at love.
The 19th-seeded Bublik slid an ace out wide holding at 15 to force the final tie break.
Two points into the tie break, Zverev guessed right on a Bublik drive and shoveled a two-handed pass down the line scoring the mini break and a 2-0 lead. Zverev zapped his 14th ace out wide extending his lead to 4-1.
Reading the drop shot, Zverev looped a lob then blocked a backhand volley followed by a forehand volley winner for 5-1. Rifling a crosscourt pass that rattled off his opponent’s Yonex racquet gave Zverev a fistful of match points.
Slashing his 15th ace out wide, Zverev closed in two hours, 37 minutes.
“Yeah, I think the emotions come when you actually see the No. 1 next to your name,” Zverev said. “I think
that will be, for sure, something special.
“For now, I’m No. 2 in the world still, funny enough, and that, you know, I clenched the world No. 1 for year end is, of course, with Jannik being out, unfortunately. But, yeah, I think, once it happens, it will be a special moment for me.”
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