Zizous Bergs stunned Carlos Alcaraz 7-5, 7-6(4) at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena to advance to the fourth round in Shanghai on Monday. This is the biggest win of Bergs’ career and it will certainly give him a lot of confidence.
The World no.39 was able to break World No. 3 Alcaraz’s serve three times and registered a straight-set win against the Spaniard.
Bergs was relieved after finally getting a win against a top-five player in the PIF ATP rankings.
“This is something that has been very tough for me,” Bergs said, when asked about getting a win against one of the biggest stars on the ATP Tour. “I often have too much respect for these guys, which is part of my culture and I’m proud of that. But it gets a little bit in the way when you have to play them. I had a great moment here last year against [Novak] Djokovic where I was definitely playing the name, not the guy.
“The more experience you have practising against them and playing matches, the more it becomes the new standard a little bit. To have this moment, for me it is a little bit of a relief. I feel like now I really can win against these guys. Not just I can play against them, but I can win against them.”
The Belgian expressed his delight after getting the win against Alcaraz and leveling the head-to-head battle 1-1.
“It’s a little bit of disbelief and also not feeling too much,” Bergs reflected after levelling his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz at 1-1. “It’s one of the moments where you don’t really realise what is going on, you’re just really in the moment and being focused on the points you have to play. Now one minute after the match, it is tough to calm down a little bit, but I will be very happy.”
Bergs will play the round of 16 against USA’s Tommy Paul on Wednesday.
