Alexander Zverev will replace Jannik Sinner as the ATP world number one on Monday after reaching the quarter-finals of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Tallon Griekspoor. The 29-year-old German becomes the 30th man to top the men's rankings and the second from his country after Boris Becker in 1991.
Zverev's ascent caps a season in which he won two Grand Slam titles — the French Open and the US Open — and compiled a 64-16 match record. "It's been a wait but sometimes you have to wait for the best things in life," Zverev said. "I'm super happy, super thrilled — I have no words for this year." He is the second-oldest man to reach number one for the first time.
The shift ends a duopoly held by Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who split all eight Grand Slam titles in 2024 and 2025. Both missed large portions of the 2026 season through injury, allowing Zverev to capitalize. He secured the year-end number one ranking when Alcaraz lost in Shanghai on 12 October, but could not overtake Sinner until 2 November at the earliest.
Zverev acknowledged he might not be considered the world's best player if both rivals were "healthy and at the top of their game," but emphasized he has efficiently beaten the opposition placed before him.
In the Vienna quarter-finals, Zverev will face British number one Arthur Fery, a repeat of their Wimbledon semi-final. Fery, 24, advanced with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 win over Lorenzo Musetti, saving a break deficit in the decider and overcoming cramp to serve out the match.
Elsewhere, Cameron Norrie fell 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-1) to Daniil Medvedev after serving for the match at 5-3 in the third set, while second seed Carlos Alcaraz progressed with a 6-1 7-6 (13-11) victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili.
