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The week in tennis: Zverev reaches world No.1, Alcaraz wins Vienna
Here are the key talking points from the week in tennis...
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Tallon Griekspoor had described Alexander Zverev as "difficult to watch" in the US Open final in September, a comment that drew criticism and forced the Dutchman to clarify his remarks. Against Griekspoor, in the Round of 16 at the Vienna Open, the German won in straight-sets to secure his rise to the World No.1 spot for the first time.
The milestone, however, did little to change Zverev's fortunes on court. He suffered another defeat to a top-10 opponent, losing to Alex de Minaur in the semi-final. It was his ninth such loss in 12 matches against top-10 players in 2026.
Carlos Alcaraz eventually claimed the Vienna title, while Novak Djokovic's bid to strengthen his ATP Finals qualification hopes suffered a setback in Basel. The Swiss tournament, meanwhile, belonged to Valentin Vacherot, who lifted his second career title.
Here are the key talking points from the week in tennis...
Zverev reaches the top
The two-time Grand Slam champion became the 30th man to become the world No.1 in singles since the ATP rankings were introduced in 1973, and the second German after Boris Becker to reach the pinnacle of the sport. His win over Griekspoor was enough to secure the ranking, which he took over from Jannik Sinner. The Italian ended his season in October because of a knee injury.
The 29-year-old, though, had already clinched the year-end No.1 ranking on October 12, courtesy his two major titles, the French Open and US Open, coming this season.
Who won
Vienna (ATP 500): Alcaraz, who competed in Vienna on a wild card, beat De Minaur 6-1, 6-4 in 97 minutes in the final. This was his fourth title of 2026, and he did not drop a set throughout the week.
The Spaniard completed a perfect 16-0 season at ATP 500 events, including title runs in Doha and Tokyo. He is also on a 26-match winning streak at that level overall. The last time he lost an ATP 500 match was in the 2025 Barcelona final against Holger Rune. The Vienna triumph was his 11th ATP 500 title. At this level, he trails only Roger Federer (16 titles) and Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (15 each).
Basel (ATP 500): Basel began on an emotional note, with Stan Wawrinka playing his final professional match. He lost 7-5, 7-6(2) to Jiri Lehecka in the first round on Tuesday.
Attention then turned to Djokovic, who was back in Basel on a wild card. His bid to strengthen his ATP Finals qualification hopes ended with a shock defeat to Jan-Lennard Struff in three sets in the last 16.
Eighth seed Lehecka went on to reach the final but lost 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to unseeded Vacherot in one hour and 54 minutes. It was Vacherot's second career title, following his triumph at the Shanghai Masters last year.
The Monegasque completed a stunning week in Basel, having earlier beaten Rafael Jodar in the Round of 16 and Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals. He became the first player from Monaco to win an ATP 500 title and joined Federer and Djokovic to be the only singles players to win both the Shanghai Masters and Basel.
Tokyo (WTA 500): Rybakina was the centre of attention at the Japan Open and secured the year-end world No.1 ranking with a win in the opening round. However, she withdrew before her second-round match, citing a neck injury.
Leylah Fernandez reached her second consecutive WTA final, having earlier lost to the Kazakh in the Ningbo Open final. In Tokyo, however, she went down 4-6, 7-5, 2-6 to third seed Diana Shnaider in two hours and 18 minutes. The victory marked Shnaider's first title of the season and the sixth of her career.
The race for Turin
By beating Adrian Mannarino in the Vienna quarter-finals, Daniil Medvedev became the fourth player to qualify for the 2026 ATP Finals, joining Zverev, Alcaraz and Ben Shelton. It will be his seventh appearance at the season-ending tournament.
Four places remain up for grabs, with the ATP Race set to conclude after the Paris Masters.
De Minaur strengthened his position with his run to the Vienna final, moving ahead of Jodar, who is set to make his ATP top-10 debut on Monday, just 287 days after his tour debut. That would make him the fastest player to achieve the feat, surpassing Gustavo Kuerten's 490-day mark. Djokovic is 310 points behind De Minaur and needs a deep run in Paris to keep his qualification hopes alive.
In doubles, three ATP Finals places remain up for grabs. Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz, Theo Arribage/Albano Olivetti and Guido Andreozzi/Manuel Guinard currently occupy the qualifying positions.
Look ahead
The ATP Tour moves to Paris for the final Masters 1000 event of the season. Zverev, competing in his first tournament as world No.1, has received a first round bye and will face either Alex Michelsen or Lehecka in the Round of 32. Djokovic, a seven-time champion with a 50-9 record in Paris, begins his campaign against Basel winner Vacherot.
