Win No. 60: Zverev survives Halys test to reach Shanghai last 16
Alexander Zverev beats Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3 in 2 hours 17 minutes. Alexander Bublik is next – a semi-final would secure him year-end No. 1.
Archive image · Photo: Partynia, derivative work: Kacir / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Alexander Zverev is through to the last 16 at the Shanghai Masters. The top seed beat France's Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3 in the third round after 2 hours 17 minutes. Zverev let two match points slip in the second-set tie-break before an early break in the decider settled it. According to the ATP he did not face a single break point all match.
It was Zverev's 60th tour-level win of the season, the third time he has reached that mark after 2018 and 2024. "I think that 60 wins doesn't tell the whole story," he said, according to the ATP. Of Halys, whom he has now beaten in all four of their meetings this year, Zverev said: "He plays unbelievably aggressive and he serves incredible."
Next up is 19th seed Alexander Bublik, who beat Brandon Nakashima in three sets. If Zverev reaches the semi-finals he secures the ATP Year-End No. 1 spot, with Jannik Sinner having ended his season early. The earliest he can climb to No. 1 in the rankings is 2 November.