Zizou Bergs produced the biggest upset of the Shanghai Masters so far on Monday. He defeated Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to end the Spaniard’s promising return to the professional tennis tour.
The 27-year-old Belgian, ranked 39th in the world, beat second-seeded Alcaraz 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the third round.
It was one of the most significant victories of his career. Bergs will face either Tommy Paul or Valentin Vacherot in the next round.
Alcaraz had recently returned to competitive action after spending several months sidelined by injury. The 23-year-old began the match with greater control.
However, he struggled to maintain his accuracy as Bergs grew into the contest.
Bergs claimed the first break of serve to lead 3-2 in the opening set. Alcaraz immediately responded by breaking back.
The Spaniard then committed a series of uncharacteristic errors. He repeatedly found the net and struggled to establish his usual rhythm.
A double fault from Alcaraz gave Bergs a crucial break point in the 11th game. The Belgian closed out the first set after an Alcaraz volley fell short.
Alcaraz Frustrated as Bergs Seals Victory
The second set brought further frustration for Alcaraz. He was visibly unhappy with his performance and repeatedly communicated with his coaching team after several misplaced shots.
Despite forcing a tie-break, he couldn’t take the match into a deciding set.
Bergs converted his first match point shortly after the two-hour mark to complete the 7-5, 7-6 victory. Speaking after the match, Bergs admitted he was still processing the result.
“It’s a little disbelief and not feeling too much,” he said. He explained that his focus had remained firmly on playing each point.
Elsewhere at the Shanghai Masters, Stefanos Tsitsipas recovered from a set down to defeat Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
He booked a fourth-round meeting with Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev advanced comfortably with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over qualifier Dalibor Svrcina.
Tsitsipas’ match against Fritz included an unusual delay. A tennis ball fell from the American’s pocket for a second time, forcing one match point to be replayed. The Greek eventually sealed victory on his fifth match point.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud and Rafael Jodar also progressed to the Shanghai Masters last 16.
 at the Shanghai Masters, ending the Spaniard’s return to form in the third round.){kind=link}