Shanghai: Bergs beats Alcaraz, Fils also out

Zizou Bergs has stopped Carlos Alcaraz. In the round of 32 at the Shanghai Masters 1000, the Belgian, ranked No. 40 on the ATP list, beat the Spaniard, No. 3, 7-5 7-6(4). On the same day Botic Van De Zandschulp knocked out Arthur Fils, No. 10, 7-5 6-4. Two top-10 players out in a single day: the draw has a new look.

Alcaraz arrived in Shanghai after a great week in Tokyo, where he won the Japan Open by beating Jiri Lehecka 7-6(4) 6-4 in the final, after coming back against Jaume Antoni Munar Clar in the semifinal (5-7 6-3 6-1). In his Shanghai opener he had beaten Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3 6-3. On paper, the road to the quarterfinals looked downhill.

The court said otherwise. Bergs closed out the first set 7-5 and took the second to a tie-break, which he won 7-4. According to Eurosport's report, the Spaniard looked nervous and unrecognizable; Eurosport also reports that after the match Alcaraz criticized the playing conditions, in particular the bounce of the ball. We stick to the facts: two sets, a tie-break decided by details and a Belgian who did not flinch at the key moments.

For Bergs it is a hugely important win. The Belgian, born on 3 June 1999, finished 2025 with 27 wins and 25 losses and no titles, and his best ranking is No. 33, reached on 14 August 2026. Before Alcaraz he had beaten Vit Kopriva 6-3 6-1 and Ignacio Buse 6-0 6-3. In his last ten matches he has six wins and four losses.

The result matters for the rankings too. Bergs has 1,320 points and was defending 200 in Shanghai, those from his 2025 quarterfinal. If he wins his next match he rises to 1,520 virtual points and, if he were to win the title, he would reach 2,120: a figure that would change his season.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, stays at No. 3 with 5,860 points, 4,110 fewer than second-ranked Alexander Zverev and 1,105 more than fourth-ranked Ben Shelton. In 2025 he went 66-7 with eight titles; he has won eight of his last ten matches. At the US Open he went out in the quarterfinals, beaten by Shelton 6-7(5) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6(7).

Now the other surprise. Van De Zandschulp, 31, beat Fils 7-5 6-4 and climbs to No. 39 with 1,458 points, his best ranking in the history stored by the site: sixteen places gained since 21 July. Before Fils he had beaten Daniel Merida Aguilar 1-6 6-3 6-4 and Alex Michelsen 6-4 6-4.

The Dutchman's run is no accident. At the US Open he beat Bergs himself in the third round in five sets, 3-6 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(6) 6-3, and Alex De Minaur in the second, before losing in the quarterfinals to Zverev (6-2 7-5 6-1). In his last ten matches he has seven wins and three losses. After the setbacks in Chengdu (6-4 7-5 against Nikoloz Basilashvili) and Beijing (5-7 6-4 6-3 against Francisco Cerundolo) he has found his confidence again.

For Fils it is a halt after a good spell. The Frenchman is No. 10 with 3,475 points, 30 behind No. 9 Frances Tiafoe, and in Cincinnati he beat Tiafoe himself in the final, 6-3 1-6 6-0. In Tokyo he went out in the quarterfinals against Valentin Vacherot (7-5 4-6 6-4); in Shanghai he had beaten Pavel Kotov 6-3 6-4 before giving way to Van De Zandschulp. For the round he reached he collects 100 points.

Elsewhere in the draw there is another story worth noting: Tommy Paul eliminated Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-2. Vacherot was the defending champion: in 2025 he won the tournament by beating Arthur Rinderknech 4-6 6-3 6-3 in the final, and with this defeat he loses the 1,000 points of that title. In the previous round Paul had beaten Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-2 6-2.

Meanwhile the tournament goes on with marathon numbers. There are 96 players in the draw, from 32 nations, and so far 79 matches have been played, with 42 tie-breaks and 31 matches going to a deciding set. The match with the most games was Yannick Hanfmann-Kamil Majchrzak, 6-7(4) 7-6(3) 7-6(7), 39 games in all. Among the big names, Novak Djokovic, beaten by Hubert Hurkacz 6-4 6-3, and Holger Rune are also gone.

The round of 16, scheduled for 13 and 14 October, offers an interesting picture. On Tuesday Alex De Minaur plays Karen Khachanov, Arthur Gea plays Jakub Mensik, Alexander Zverev plays Alexander Bublik and Hubert Hurkacz plays Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. On Wednesday it is the turn of Daniil Medvedev against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Van De Zandschulp against Rafael Jodar, Paul against Bergs and Casper Ruud against Felix Auger Aliassime.

Paul against Bergs will be a test for the Belgian. On the other side is an American who in the previous round gave up just four games to Vallejo. Bergs will have to show he can repeat the performance against Alcaraz without the element of surprise.

Van De Zandschulp, instead, faces Jodar, who beat Thiago Agustin Tirante 4-6 6-2 6-3 and then Lehecka 4-6 7-6(2) 6-4: two comebacks, the sign of a player who does not give up. The Dutchman has experience and high morale on his side, but Jodar has already shown he can rescue difficult matches.

For Alcaraz the Asian swing ends with a title, Tokyo, and a defeat weighed down by his verdict on the playing conditions. For Bergs and Van De Zandschulp a different phase begins, with points, rankings and confidence at stake. With Alcaraz, Fils, Djokovic and Vacherot already out, the Shanghai draw is more open than ever.