Zizou Bergs beats Carlos Alcaraz in Shanghai

Zizou Bergs defeated Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in the Shanghai Masters third round on October 12, ending the Spaniard’s run at the tournament and advancing to the fourth round. The Belgian won 7-5, 7-6(4), according to match reports, in a result described as the biggest win of his career. Bergs, ranked 39th in one match report, broke Alcaraz twice in the opening set and closed it out 7-5. In the second, Bergs again moved ahead with a break at 6-5, but Alcaraz broke back to force a tiebreak. Bergs won it 7-4 to complete the match in straight sets. Reports put the match at just over two hours. The victory was Bergs’s first over Alcaraz in their second meeting on tour. He is set to face either Tommy Paul or Valentin Vacherot in the next round, according to reports published after the match. Bergs said after the match that he was focused on the points in front of him and described feeling disbelief. He also said he had tried to play his own game. The win carried Bergs into the fourth round of the ATP Masters 1000 event. Alcaraz, a former world No. 1, had arrived in Shanghai after winning the Tokyo title and defeating Juan Manuel Cerundolo in his opening match.