Sportsupdated 1h ago2 min read
MapAlexander Zverev Beats Tallon Griekspoor To Become World No. 1 In Vienna
“After more than a decade of disappointment, controversy and injury”
“With his win, Zverev officially takes over as the World No. 1, ending Jannik Sinner's 95-week reign.”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
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Defeated Griekspoor 6-4, 7-5 to reach Vienna quarterfinals and secure No.1. Becomes world No.1 for the first time, effective Monday.
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Zverev becomes No. 1
Alexander Zverev reached the quarter-finals in Vienna and secured the men’s world number one spot at his earliest opportunity, beating Tallon Griekspoor 6-4 7-5 at the Erste Bank Open. Zverev, 29, will replace Jannik Sinner as the ATP’s leading player at the next rankings update on Monday, after Sinner ended his season prematurely because of injury. Zverev framed the moment as a long-awaited breakthrough, telling reporters, "It's been a wait but sometimes you have to wait for the best things in life."
Zverev’s rise followed a season in which he won two Grand Slam titles and 64 of his 80 matches, and the BBC said he was guaranteed to finish 2026 as the ATP’s leading player. The Vienna win also set up Zverev to face British number one Arthur Fery in the quarter-finals, a repeat of their Wimbledon semi-final.
Quarter-finals and quotes
Arthur Fery advanced in Vienna with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 win over Italy's Lorenzo Musetti, and the BBC noted that Fery was 24. Daniil Medvedev beat Cameron Norrie 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-1), and the BBC said Medvedev was left angrily punching the surface when he fell a break down in the deciding set. Carlos Alcaraz also progressed with a 6-1 7-6 (13-11) win over Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili, and the BBC reported that Alcaraz’s match included a 13-11 tiebreak.
Zverev described the feeling of being at the top in a quote carried by the Daily Sabah, saying, "To have the feeling to be on the top of the world is amazing." The BBC added that Zverev would not overtake Sinner until 2 November at the earliest, but the Vienna result ensured he would become the first man other than Sinner and Alcaraz to top the rankings since Novak Djokovic in June 2024.
What the No. 1 means
Zverev’s No. 1 debut is tied to the ATP rankings update on Monday, and multiple reports said the German would become the 30th man to hold the No. 1 spot since the rankings were first published in 1973.
The BBC said Zverev was already guaranteed to finish 2026 as the ATP’s leading player, while Le Figaro said his victory over Tallon Griekspoor assured him he would become world No. 1 in the ATP rankings starting Monday.
Zverev’s season included major titles at the French Open and US Open, and the BBC described it as his "greatest season of a career" after he efficiently beat what was in front of him.
The BBC also said Zverev conceded he would "maybe not" be the world's best player if both his rivals were "healthy and at the top of their game," linking the ranking shift to the injuries that kept Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz out for large chunks of the season.
With the ATP Finals in November still ahead, Zverev’s new status reshapes the late-season stakes in Vienna and beyond, as the BBC reported that Novak Djokovic’s hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals were harmed by a second-round defeat in Basel.