Tennis essentials, 12 October: Zizou Bergs knocks out Alcaraz, Zverev ends the year No. 1, Sinner hands his knee to the snow magician

Shanghai lost both its headline acts in one Monday: Carlos Alcaraz went out in the third round, and Valentin Vacherot gave his title back without reaching the last sixteen. The day also settled the name of the year-end world No. 1, while Jannik Sinner handed his knee to a surgeon and Alex De Minaur proposed a change to the serve rule.

Zizou Bergs knocks over Carlos Alcaraz

The 27-year-old Belgian, ranked 39th, has played the best win of his career: 7-5, 7-6(4) in two hours and three minutes on Stadium Court, closed by an ace on match point. Alcaraz lost his temper at the end of the first set: “I don’t understand anything. I can’t do it, man”, he told his bench, RMC Sport reports. Our piece tells the match, the tournament’s biggest upset yet.

Zverev will end the year as No. 1

Alcaraz’s defeat settles the ranking: Alexander Zverev will finish the season as world No. 1, the first German to get there, notes the ATP. The place had already fallen to him when Sinner announced the end of his season in early October, on a right knee hurting since the summer.

Van de Zandschulp puts out Arthur Fils

Seeded eighth, the Frenchman did not last an hour and a half: 7-5, 6-4 in an hour and 39 minutes on Grandstand 2 against Botic van de Zandschulp, who reaches the Shanghai last sixteen for the first time in four appearances, on the tournament’s official scoresheet and Tennis Majors.

Tommy Paul dethrones Valentin Vacherot

The Monégasque’s run of ten straight wins in Shanghai stopped there: 6-4, 6-2 to Tommy Paul, Vacherot’s first defeat in the tournament, so the title will not be defended. Vacherot told his bench more than once that he was short of energy, notes Tennis Temple; Paul now waits for Bergs in the last sixteen.

Sinner hands his knee to the “snow magician”

Jannik Sinner’s season is over, and his right knee goes to Doctor Herbert Schoenhuber, the Milan orthopaedic surgeon nicknamed the snow magician for putting Sofia Goggia back on skis before the Beijing Games: a month without a racket, the Australian Open (17-31 January) in his sights, reports RMC Sport. Arthur Fils calls the calendar “very, very intense”; our piece gathers the season and his words.

De Minaur wants one ball toss only

“Once you have tossed the ball, you have to serve, whatever happens”, proposes Alex De Minaur, or a fault; the rule in force allows 25 seconds before the first serve and nothing between first and second, recalls L’Équipe. A player’s opinion, not an official project: Brad Gilbert, who has been saying it for 40 years, agrees “at 1000 per cent”, notes We Love Tennis. Our piece follows the question before his last sixteen against Karen Khachanov on Wednesday.