USA India Australia Africa
Home Sports Shanghai Masters: Alexander Zverev celebrates becoming year-end No 1 with win over Alexander Bublik as Katie Boulter bows out of Wuhan Open | Tennis News
Shanghai Masters: Alexander Zverev celebrates becoming year-end No 1 with win over Alexander Bublik as Katie Boulter bows out of Wuhan Open | Tennis News

October 13, 2026:

Shanghai Masters: Alexander Zverev celebrates becoming year-end No 1 with win over Alexander Bublik as Katie Boulter bows out of Wuhan Open | Tennis News

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.

Instagram

This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Instagram cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.


Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Instagram cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Instagram cookies for this session only.

Enable Cookies
Allow Cookies Once

Zverev said: “I’m starting to feel my body more and more, but happy to be through because it was a difficult match. He’s been playing amazing tennis this week. I think the most important thing was that I won today.”

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 for the first time 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. I’m looking forward to that because I’m close to being 30 years old. It’s a special feeling to achieve that.”

Zverev vs Bublik: Tale of the Tape

Former British No 1 Tim Henman was full of praise for Zverev at the Laver Cup in London last month.

“You’ve got to earn the ranking points, and the way he’s played this year has been absolutely phenomenal,” he told the ATP Tour.

“He was a service game away from being in all four Slam finals. To have been working so hard and then not being able to win a Slam, and winning two this year and reaching the Wimbledon final, it’s phenomenal.

“Twelve months ago, he had a tough time. He wasn’t playing well, and he didn’t play well in the Laver Cup. The transformation 12 months on is phenomenal.”

Henman added: “When you see the way he’s been stepping up in the big matches, he hasn’t always played his best, but he’s found a way to win. Then you give yourself a chance to play better. The way he’s played in the Slams speaks for itself.”

Boulter suffers early Wuhan exit

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Highlights from the WTA Wuhan match between Katie Boulter and Diana Shnaider

Katie Boulter was beaten by 11th seed Diana Shnaider in the first round of the Wuhan Open.

The British No 1 struggled to hold serve against Russian Shnaider, who reached the semi-finals of the French Open, and fell to a 6-3 6-1 loss.

Boulter, who has been mourning the death of her grandfather, began well and led by an early break but she was under constant pressure on serve and was unable to match the consistency of her opponent.

British Top 5: October 12

WTA

1. Katie Boulter – 54

2. Fran Jones – 104

3. Emma Raducanu – 108

4. Harriet Dart – 113

5. Sonay Kartal – 170

ATP

1. Arthur Fery – 34

2. Cameron Norrie – 40

3. Jacob Fearnley – 94

4. Toby Samuel – 95

5. Jan Choinski – 110

The 22-year-old left-hander, who beat Boulter in the 2024 Hong Kong final, is now 3-0 against the Brit and has 30 tour-level wins this season.

Swiatek aiming to end year on a positive note as WTA Finals spot hangs in balance

Iga Swiatek is running out of time to claim a place at this year's WTA Finals
Image:
Iga Swiatek is running out of time to claim a place at this year’s WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek has played at every edition of the WTA Finals since ‌2021, but with the Pole running out of time to claim a place at this year’s season-ending tournament ‌she knows the importance of going deep at her few remaining events.

The six-time major ​champion has won only one tournament this year at the Canadian Open in August and failed to advance beyond ​the quarter-final stage at all four Grand Slams.

The 25-year-old, ‌who won the WTA Finals in 2023, is 10th in the qualifying table for the November ​8-15 tournament at Indian Wells with only four of the eight spots still up for grabs.

“Obviously I’m aware of the situation and it would be great to get into the Finals, ‌for sure it’s our goal,” Swiatek said.

“It’s the first time I’ve faced a situation like that, to ‌get into the finals.

“It’s a challenge, but I feel like it’s a positive one and I’m really motivated. There are still a few tournaments ahead.”

Stream tennis with no contract on NOW and the Sky Sports App. You can watch the WTA/ATP China Open and ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters live on Sky Sports.

Source link

tags
Abkhazia Afghanistan Africa Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Northern Cyprus Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Transnistria Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda UK Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay USA Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe