Alexander Zverev beat Alexander Bublik 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(1) in two hours and 41 minutes on Tuesday to reach the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals. The new year-end world No. 1 needed a decider and said his ankle was acting up before facing Alex de Minaur.
Shanghai, China: Alexander Zverev was already guaranteed to finish 2026 as the world No. 1. On Tuesday he spent more than two and a half hours proving he could still win ugly, edging Alexander Bublik in a match that went the distance.
Set points saved, a set conceded
Zverev saved set points in the first-set tie-break and took it 8-6 to lead. Bublik, the 19th seed, then took the second set 6-4 and the contest went to a decider. Zverev was broken in the third set, but he recovered and won the deciding tie-break 7-1 to book a place in the last eight.
The ankle that would not settle
The physical cost was visible. Zverev said afterwards that his ankle was acting up again and that it worsened in the middle of the second set. He told the crowd he had some physical issues and was maybe slower, and said his level dropped from the second set onwards. He has had ankle trouble earlier in the tournament, and there is no confirmed diagnosis.
A year-end No. 1 with work left to do
It was Zverev’s first match since the year-end top ranking was settled. The result was confirmed on Monday when Zizou Bergs beat Carlos Alcaraz, and with Jannik Sinner out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, nobody can catch the German. Zverev is currently No. 2 in the rankings, and the ATP notes he is the first German man to finish a season at the top. He reached this round after a three-set win over Quentin Halys, and he has won the Roland Garros and US Open titles this season.
De Minaur awaits
Next is Alex de Minaur, who beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday. De Minaur had retired injured from the China Open final in Beijing. Zverev leads their head-to-head 8-4, but de Minaur has won the last two meetings, both at the Laver Cup. Whether the ankle holds will shape that quarter-final.
Result: Alexander Zverev (GER, 1) bt Alexander Bublik (KAZ, 19) 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(1) in 2h 41m
Event: Rolex Shanghai Masters (ATP Masters 1000), fourth round, Tuesday 13 October 2026
Next: Zverev v Alex de Minaur (AUS, 9) in the quarter-finals
