Alexander Zverev came through a difficult test against Alexander Bublik to confirm his place in the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters.

Zverev, who has just been confirmed as the year-end world No 1, needed three sets to defeat Bublik in what was a very competitive match on the Masters tournament’s main court.

The German needed two tie-breaks to topple Bublik, but he did not look entirely comfortably against the world No 18.

Zverev took a fall in his opening round match against Wu Yibing and his ankle appeared to be troubling him again in his fourth round match.

The star is now three matches away from adding another Masters title to his collection, which would put him on par with Carlos Alcaraz in one regard.

More Alexander Zverev news

Zverev has claimed five of the nine Masters titles in his career, at the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, the Canadian Open, the Cincinnati Open, and the Paris Masters.

Should he win the Shanghai Masters, he will have won the same amount as Alcaraz has managed in his career.

Despite his Grand Slam winning feats, Alcaraz has not matched that at Masters level. He is yet to win the Shanghai Masters, the Paris Masters, and the Canadian Open.

It would be an impressive feat for Zverev to claim his sixth separate Masters title and he will now be the overwhelming favourite to do so in Shanghai.

Several top seeds have already exited the tournament, including the likes of Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton, and Alcaraz.

Zverev plays Alex de Minaur next, who he has a winning head-to-head record against. He’s beaten the Australian eight of the 12 times he’s played him on the ATP Tour, although he has lost his last two matches to the star.

Should he find a way past de Minaur, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev would be the only players ranked inside the top 10 left in the competition.

Both Medvedev and Auger-Aliassime are in the other side of the draw to Zverev, meaning they will very likely meet in the semifinals of the competition.

Zverev’s most likely route through to the Shanghai Masters now is de Minaur in the last eight, Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals, and Auger-Aliassime in the finals.

The new world No 1 would have absolutely taken that before the tournament started. He looks set to claim the third title of his 2026 season so far.