Alcaraz out of Shanghai Masters: Zizou Bergs wins 7-5, 7-6 in the tournament's biggest upset

Bergs beats Alcaraz 7-5, 7-6 (7-4)

Carlos Alcaraz is out of the Shanghai Masters. Belgium's Zizou Bergs, ranked 39th in the world, beat the second-seeded Spaniard 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) in the third round on Monday 12 October, the biggest upset of the tournament so far, AFP reported via ARY News. Bergs, 27, closed out the match on his first match point, just past the two-hour mark.

The defeat interrupts a strong comeback for the 23-year-old former world number one, who had been out for months with injury before returning to the Tour.

How the match turned

• First set: Bergs broke first to lead 3-2. Alcaraz broke straight back but was unusually loose, putting a string of shots into the net. A double fault gave Bergs break point at 5-5, and Alcaraz lost the set when a volley fell short.
• Second set: Alcaraz was visibly frustrated, turning to his box after a run of errors that left him without a point in the fourth and eighth games. He forced a tie-break but could not take it to a deciding set.

Bergs said afterwards that he felt "a little disbelief" and had simply stayed focused on each point.

Who Bergs plays next

Bergs meets the winner of Tommy Paul vs Valentin Vacherot in the fourth round.

Why it matters

Shanghai is one of the nine ATP Masters 1000 events, the tier just below the four Grand Slams, so ranking points lost here matter for the end-of-season ATP Finals race. For Alcaraz, a straight-sets loss to a player outside the top 30 is a reminder that match sharpness takes time to return after a long injury break.

Pakistani tennis fans can follow the rest of the week on the ATP Tour's own site and app. For other sport tonight, see our cricket schedule and results for the third Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20I in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.