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 "ankle was acting up" following his win.
The top seed will take on ninth seed Alex de Minaur next 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.
With current world No 1 Jannik Sinner out for the rest of 2026 due to a knee injury and Carlos Alcaraz unable to overtake Zverev this year, the German was competing for the first time since he clinched the year-end No 1 honours on Monday. "It is very, very special. To finish the world No 1 is a different kind of feeling," said Zverev. "It's a different kind of responsibility on your shoulders."
Former British No 1 Tim Henman praised Zverev's transformation over the past year, saying the way he has played in the Slams "speaks for itself." In Wuhan, Katie Boulter was beaten 6-3 6-1 by 11th seed Diana Shnaider in the first round, struggling to hold serve after mourning the death of her grandfather.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing