What Went Wrong in Carlos Alcaraz’s Third Round Upset in Shanghai

Second seed Carlos Alcaraz faced No. 39 Zizou Bergs in the third round of the 2026 Shanghai Masters. Between the difference in rankings and the Spanish player’s recent Japan Open win, the match should have been an easy obstacle to overcome. However, Alcaraz could not adapt to the court’s speed and fell in straight sets.

Bergs Beats Alcaraz in Round of 32

In their second-ever head-to-head, Bergs bested Alcaraz in two hard-fought sets. The hard courts at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena immediately caused trouble for the Spanish player. Bergs broke his serve three different times throughout the match, winning the first set 7-5, and his opponent was not able to force a tiebreak until the second set.

Unfortunately, Alcaraz’s comeback was short-lived largely due to the power of his opponent’s serve. The Belgian player won 37 out of 47 points behind his first serve throughout the match, and during the tiebreak, he led 3-1 until Alcaraz tied it up 4-4. From there, the Belgian player won three consecutive points and advanced to Shanghai’s fourth round.

During the post-match interview, Bergs showed a mixture of surprise and confidence, saying, “I really was in good shape, this week in training as well. Just feeling the ball, being aggressive and also serving quite well … I’m very happy how I handled the tie-break. It’s never easy to get broken when you are serving for the match, but to get back in the tie-break and play those key moments, serve big, I’m very happy with that one especially.”

Outburst Toward Coaches

Alcaraz had a now-viral emotional outburst during his first set against Bergs. The Spanish player complained about the speed of the Shanghai courts and the inconsistency of ball bounces on them. He also looked frustrated when his opponent took a long bathroom break in between sets, although the amount of time taken was within regulation.

Alcaraz loudly directed his courtside complaints to his coaching team, now led by Samuel López, saying, “I don’t understand a thing. It can’t be that one ball bounces and the other slips on me. I can’t, man. I can’t play like this, man … You can’t play tennis by instinct!”

Alcaraz’s Road to Recovery

The narrative around Alcaraz’s loss is naturally still focused on his slow recovery from the wrist injury that kept him out of competition for four months. Some commentators were not sure about his sudden return at the US Open in August, but he had an increasingly strong showing until Ben Shelton knocked him out during a record-breaking quarterfinal.

At the Laver Cup, Alcaraz narrowly defeated Taylor Fritz and had his match against Alex de Minaur canceled. At the Japan Open, the Spanish player seemed rather rejuvenated and won his first title there by defeating Jiri Lehecka in straight sets. However, he admitted in post-match interviews that he was “still far from” where his level once was.

The Rest of His Season

Alcaraz’s upset at Shanghai adds another bumpy stop to the few remaining tournaments left on the 2026 ATP Tour. The 23-year-old will hopefully get to shake off this defeat at the Six Kings Slam later this month. After that, he will get one final Masters 1000 attempt in Paris. His best performance at the tournament was reaching the quarterfinal in 2022 before Rune won in a walkover.

With the ATP Finals just over a month away, it looks like Alcaraz will likely not be the contender many had hoped for. Zverev just clinched his first-ever No. 1 ranking, and he will probably take home his first title at the season-ending competition since he won his second in 2021. Alcaraz seems permanently shaken by his injury and time away from the court, but there are still a few more stops before next season.

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