Alexander Zverev celebrated becoming the year-end No.1 with a 7-6 (8-6) 4-6 7-6 (7-1) victory over Alexander Bublik to reach the quarter-finals at the Shanghai Masters.
Zverev, who won the French Open and US Open this year, never looked 100 per cent comfortable and admitted his “wrist was acting up” after his win.
The top seed will get the ninth seed Alex de Minaur then after the Australian produced one of his best performances of the year to beat Karen Khachanov in straight sets 6-3 6-4 to advance.
Zverev said: “I’m starting to feel my body more and more, but I’m glad I got through it because it was a tough match. He’s been playing great tennis this week. I think the most important thing was that I won today.”
With current world No. 1 Jannik Sinner out for the rest of 2026 with a knee injury and Carlos Alcaraz unable to overtake Zverev this year, the German was competing for the first time since winning the year-end No. 1 title for the first time on Monday.
“It’s very, very special. To finish world No. 1 is a different feeling,” Zverev said. “It’s a different kind of responsibility on your shoulders. I’m looking forward to it because I’m close to 30 years old. It’s a special feeling to achieve this.”
Zverev vs. Bublik: The Tale of the Tape
Former British No.1 Tim Henman was full of praise for Zverev at the Laver Cup in London last month.
“You have to earn ranking points and the way he’s played this year has been absolutely phenomenal,” he told ATP tournament.
“He was one service game away from being in all four Slam finals. To work so hard and then not be able to win a Slam, and to win two this year and get to the Wimbledon final is phenomenal.
Twelve months ago, he had a hard time. He wasn’t playing well and he didn’t play well in the Laver Cup. The transformation 12 months later is phenomenal.”
Henman added: “When you see how he’s grown in the big matches, he hasn’t always played his best, but he’s found a way to win. Then you give yourself a chance to play better. The way he’s played at the Slams speaks for itself.”
Boulter suffers early exit from Wuhan
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Highlights from the WTA Wuhan match between Katie Boulter and Diana Shnaider
Katie Boulter was beaten by the 11th seed Diana Schneider in the first round of the Wuhan Open.
The British No 1 struggled to hold serve against Russian Shnaider, who reached the semi-finals of the French Open, and fell to a 6-3 6-1 defeat.
Boulter, who is mourning the death of her grandfather, started well and led by an early break, but she was under constant pressure on serve and was unable to match her opponent’s consistency.
The 22-year-old left-hander, who beat Boulter in the 2024 Hong Kong final, is now 3-0 against the Briton and has 30 tournament-level wins this season.
Swiatek aims to end the year on a positive note as a WTA Finals berth remains in the balance
Iga Swiatek is running out of time to claim a spot at this year’s WTA Finals
Iga Swiatek has played in every edition of the WTA Finals since 2021, but with the Pole running out of time to claim a spot at this year’s season-ending tournament, she knows the importance of going deep in the few remaining events.
The six-time major champion has won just one tournament this year at the Canadian Open in August and failed to progress beyond the quarter-final stage at all four Grand Slams.
The 25-year-old, who won the WTA Finals in 2023, is 10th in the qualifying table for the November 8-15 tournament in Indian Wells with just four of the eight spots still up for grabs.
“Obviously I’m aware of the situation and it would be nice to get into the final, of course that’s our goal,” said Swiatek.
“It’s the first time I’ve faced such a situation, to go to the finals.
“It’s a challenge, but I feel like it’s a positive challenge and I’m really motivated. There’s still a few tournaments to go.”
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