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The 39th-ranked Belgian beat Alcaraz 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) in the third round to land the tournament’s biggest upset yet, and will play either Tommy Paul or Valentin Vacherot next.
Carlos Alcaraz suffers defeat in third round of Shanghai Masters. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Carlos Alcaraz fell to Zizou Bergs in straight sets at the Shanghai Masters on Monday, interrupting the former world number one’s in-form return to the professional Tour after being sidelined for months by injury.
The 39th-ranked Belgian beat the second-seeded Spanish star 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) in the third round to land the tournament’s biggest upset yet, and will play either Tommy Paul or Valentin Vacherot next.
“It’s a little disbelief and not feeling too much,” Bergs, 27, said afterwards.
“You’re just really in the moment, being focused on the points you have to play,” he added.
“I’ll be very happy.”
Alcaraz started with more quality until Bergs broke the Spaniard’s serve to go up 3-2 in the first set.
The 23-year-old grabbed back that break in the next game but was uncharacteristically off-target, sending a mess of shots into the net.
He double-faulted to hand Bergs a critical break point in the 11th game, and lost the first set when a volley went short.
Alcaraz was visibly frustrated during the second set as he vented to his corner following a series of misfired shots that left him with no points in the fourth and eighth games.
Alcaraz forced a tie-break but could not reach a third set as Bergs closed things out just past the two-hour mark on his first match point.
Zheng withdraws from Wuhan
Freshly crowned China Open champion Zheng Qinwen withdrew on Monday from her home tournament in Wuhan, citing fatigue and a right shoulder injury.
Zheng became the first Chinese player to clinch the Beijing title on Sunday by defeating reigning Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in the final.
It was Zheng’s first WTA 1000-level triumph and her first title since winning Tokyo two years ago.
“I’m very sorry to share that I will be withdrawing from this year’s Wuhan Open,” Zheng said in a statement.
“Wuhan is where my tennis dream began, and the Wuhan Open is also where I made my breakthrough at the WTA 1000 level. I have always looked forward to competing in front of my hometown fans.
“Since returning from injury, however, I have played a demanding stretch of tennis over the past month and a half, competing at the US Open, the Billie Jean King Cup, and the China Open.
“My body is feeling very fatigued after this intense run of matches.”
(With inputs from AFP)
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Ask News18Carlos Alcaraz was defeated by 39th-ranked Belgian player Zizou Bergs in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) during the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Monday.
Ask News18About the Author
Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli…Read More
Shanghai, China
October 12, 2026, 18:12 IST
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