SHANGHAI: Seven times Grand Slam champion 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, a result that also confirmed Alexander Zverev as the ATP's year-end world number one.
Fresh from defending his Japan Open title with a victory over Czech Jiri Lehecka and building momentum after a lengthy wrist injury layoff, Alcaraz never found his rhythm in a scrappy two-hour, two-minute contest.
The second-seeded Spaniard, who was sidelined for nearly five months before returning at the US Open in late August and reaching the quarterfinals, joined 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and US Open runner-up Ben Shelton among the high-profile casualties at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
The upset also ensured that French Open and US Open champion Zverev, 29, will finish the season as the ATP year-end world number one, becoming the first German to achieve the feat.
Zverev's route to the top spot opened after Italian Jannik Sinner had not played since beating him in the Wimbledon final on July 12 due to a knee injury. The 25-year old missed the North American hard-court swing, the US Open and the ongoing Asian swing.
The five-times major winner will also sit out the European indoor season and the ATP Finals in Turin, where he has lifted the trophy in each of the last two years.
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