Zverev beats Griekspoor in Vienna and will top the ATP rankings for the first time on Monday

Alexander Zverev will become world number one for the first time in his career on Monday. On Thursday the German beat Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-5 in the second round of the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna, which was enough to dethrone Jannik Sinner, Sporza, RTBF and La DH report. According to RTBF, Zverev broke Griekspoor twice, right at the start of the match and in the Dutchman's final service game, and needed 1 hour and 36 minutes.

RTBF explains the arithmetic. By reaching the quarter-finals, Zverev is guaranteed at least 9,450 points, the same as Sinner, but he goes ahead because he won two Grand Slam titles this season against one for the Italian. Sinner has been out for the rest of the season since Wimbledon, according to Sporza, and Carlos Alcaraz also missed much of 2026 through injury. Zverev had a harder time in the first round: against Spain's Martín Landaluce he survived four match points in a final set he won 13-11 in the tiebreak, RTBF says.

For the 29-year-old Zverev, whose previous best was second place in June 2022, it is a late reward for a strong year with wins at Roland Garros and the US Open. According to RTBF, he becomes the thirtieth number one since the rankings were introduced in 1973, and he is already certain to finish the year on top. La DH notes that he is only the second German to reach the summit, after Boris Becker.

The win over Griekspoor had an extra edge, Sporza writes. After the US Open final, the Dutchman had mocked the many times Zverev bounces the ball before serving. Griekspoor later offered a half-hearted apology, and Zverev said after the match that he had nothing but praise for his opponent. In the women's game, Elena Rybakina is now certain to finish the year as number one, RTBF reports.