Alexander Zverev battles through fitness concerns to gruelling three-set victory against Alexander Bublik

Alexander Zverev was engrossed in an enthralling battle against Alexander Bublik. It unfolded into a tremendous contest which was gruelling for the top seed, but he managed to prevail 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(1) in the last-16 of the Shanghai Masters.

It was the first time that the pair have clashed on the ATP Tour since 2023, a fifth contest between them. Surprisingly enough, Bublik is the one to have the positive head-to-head record, leading 3-1 ahead of this matchup. He had his chances today, but a clinical conversion rate was not displayed in the first set tiebreak, and Zverev pounced.

The soon-to-be World No.1 can speed up that process with a title triumph in Shanghai, although it is guaranteed that he will end the year on top of the rankings. He is, however, trying to win a first Masters 1000 title since the Paris Masters in 2024. After reaching the semi-final stage in the first four tournaments in 2026 at this level, Zverev has failed to make it past the last-16.

That has changed with a solid win over the former top 10 talent. In the wake of Carlos Alcaraz’s demise in Shanghai, Zverev is now the overwhelming favourite to win this title for the very first time. A finalist in 2019, this is the 29-year-old’s best run since then.

He was put through his races against Bublik in a thrilling contest. It was obvious that on court, he was not at 100% in terms of health and would put in a valiant effort to conquer his determined opponent. He saved a grand total of four set points in the opening set to take the lead, but Bublik composed himself and battled back into contention. After taking the lead in the third set, an emphatic response by Zverev commenced a string of holds that led to a tiebreak.

In a match between two big servers, it was very much expected that there would be a lot of holds of serves. That is exactly what the first set displayed. Neither player really threatened with a tiebreak seeming inevitable.

That was the case, but not without its peril. Zverev created the first break point of the match to take a 6-5 lead. He failed to convert it before Bublik forced himself ahead. A first set point came and went, and a tiebreak was created.

Bublik was the man to beat. He sailed into a 4-1 lead before creating three set points. Leading 6-3, he had a big buffer to get the job done, but that would be the last point he won in the set. Zverev came charging back and won the next five points on offer. Three to prevent Bublik from winning the set before getting over the line himself.

A sense of relief and triumph stemmed from the German, but on the other side of the court, Bublik was incensed. Looking up to the Shanghai night sky while shouting his frustrations into the air, a sarcastic smile appeared on his face, which soon turned to a glum look of frustration, relieving his flustered thoughts to his hapless team.

This continued into the second set, with Zverev creating two break points to stride into a 3-1 lead. These were fended off in a game made up of five deuces. It took a big effort for him to confirm parity once more. That was until a game later the first break of serve in the match was finally confirmed.

Zverev created a brace of chances in the following games as he put Bublik under the cosh, but each time he managed to get out of it, making his opponent work really hard while also showcasing a more composed tennis player in the process. He converted a third set point, and the match continued into a third set.

It was evident that Zverev was not 100% on court. He was walking gingerly on court and looked rather weary at times with a lot of discourse with his father/coach. It got worse as Bublik continued this momentum, breaking the serve to take the lead. That was immediately extinguished. Eight points later, Zverev had turned the tables and was in front 2-1.

Similar to the first set, the holds of serve were back in fashion. From that point, just three points against the serve were won as Zverev took a 5-4 lead. Bublik quickly got back level before the two-time Grand Slam champion moved one game from the win. No match points were created, and a tiebreak for the match was confirmed.

Zverev seized the initiative early on with some big serves, but a brilliant rally with a touch of class from Zverev propelled him 5-1 to the good. The change of ends was not a long one. Zverev created five set points, and a massive ace confirmed a fine win against a player he had not got much success against in the past. He will take on Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals. Another battle awaits after his most recent thriller.