Alexander Zverev will become world No. 1 for the first time when the ATP rankings are updated on Monday, after beating Tallon Griekspoor 6-4 7-5 at the Vienna Open.
The top-seeded German sealed the milestone with a second-round win in one hour and 35 minutes on Thursday night, Vienna time, ATP Tour reported. The new rankings are released on Monday, 2 November.
Zverev, 29, will be the first German to reach No. 1 since Boris Becker in 1991 and the 30th member of the ATP’s No. 1 club.
“Very special. To have the feeling to be on the top of the world is amazing,” Zverev said. “It is different than winning a tournament or a title, but it’s such a special feeling to know that the number one is going to be next to your name when the new rankings come out.”
How he got there
Zverev broke once in each set, fired 11 aces and won 35 of his 39 first-serve points, according to ATP Tour. The win improved his head-to-head record against Griekspoor, last week’s Brussels champion, to 10-3, after the Dutchman beat him in Montreal earlier this season.
Read more: Alexander Zverev Clinches Year-End No. 1 as Alcaraz Falls in Shanghai
It was Zverev’s 64th win of the season against 16 losses, and his tour-leading 13th quarter-final of the year.
A breakthrough season
Zverev won his first two Grand Slam titles this year, at Roland Garros and the US Open, and also reached the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Jannik Sinner.
Sinner, the current world No. 1, announced on 6 October that he would not play again in 2026 because of a right knee injury, BBC Sport reported. That left the Italian unable to defend the points from his titles in China, Vienna, Paris and the ATP Finals at the end of last year.
What’s next in Vienna
Zverev will play Britain’s Arthur Fery, a Wimbledon semi-finalist, for a place in the semi-finals. Fery beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 5-7 6-4 in two hours and 44 minutes.
Australian Alex de Minaur is also through to the quarter-finals, where he will face Matteo Berrettini. The Italian advanced when fourth seed Flavio Cobolli retired injured while trailing 5-2 in the first set of their round-of-16 match.
Read more: Alex de Minaur Beats Learner Tien to Reach Vienna Quarter-Finals
More News
