SHANGHAI — Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock 7-5 7-6(4) defeat by unseeded Belgian Zizou Bergs in the Shanghai Masters round of 32 on Monday, with the result also confirming Alexander Zverev as the ATP’s year-end world number one.
The seven-times Grand Slam champion struggled to find his rhythm during the two-hour, two-minute contest, committing numerous unforced errors as Bergs secured the biggest victory of his career.
The second-seeded Spaniard had arrived in Shanghai after defending his Japan Open title, having recently returned to form following a wrist injury that kept him out for nearly five months.
Bergs, 27, broke Alcaraz’s serve three times and delivered a composed performance in the fast conditions to reach the next round. The Belgian had lost their only previous meeting in the last 16 of the Japan Open last year.
“I often have too much respect for these guys, which is part of my culture and I’m proud of that. But it gets a little bit in the way when you have to play them,” Bergs said.
He added that regular practice and match experience against top players had helped him develop the belief that he could beat them.
Alcaraz acknowledged that his performance fell below expectations.
“I didn’t play the way that I wanted to play. A lot of mistakes. I didn’t find a good position on the return,” he said, while crediting Bergs for serving well.
The Spaniard also said he had struggled to feel comfortable with his shots and find solutions during rallies.
Alcaraz joined Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton among the high-profile players eliminated from the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
