Alexander Zverev is enjoying the best season of his career in 2026, but his defeat at the China Open extended an unwanted run against his three biggest rivals.

The world No 2 was beaten 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 by Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals at the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing on Sunday.

Zverev claimed his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2026 French Open, where he defeated Flavio Cobolli in a five-set final.

The German then secured his second major at the US Open in September with a four-set victory over Ben Shelton in the championship match.

These are the only two titles Zverev has won so far in 2026, with the 29-year-old also having lost to Jannik Sinner in the finals at the Madrid Masters and Wimbledon.

Zverev is, though, set to reach the top of the ATP Rankings for the first time as world No 1 Sinner was forced to cut his season short due to injury.

Sinner, who has not played since beating Zverev in the Wimbledon final, has held the No 1 ranking since he overtook Carlos Alcaraz in April.

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Alcaraz is now ranked third after he missed over four months between April and August this year due to a right wrist injury.

Zverev’s brutal run against Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic

Zverev’s Grand Slam triumphs and upcoming ascent to world No 1 have come without him having to beat his three strongest competitors: Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic.

The German’s defeat to Djokovic in Beijing means he has now lost his last 14 matches against Djokovic, Sinner and Alcaraz combined.

He has lost two consecutive matches against both Djokovic and Alcaraz, while he has suffered a staggering 10 straight defeats to Sinner.

Zverev’s last win against Djokovic came in the semi-finals at the 2025 Australian Open, when the Serb was forced to retire after the first set. The last time Zverev defeated Djokovic in a completed match was at the 2021 ATP Finals.

The two-time major champion’s most recent victory against Alcaraz was in the round robin stage at the 2024 ATP Finals, while he last beat Sinner at the 2023 US Open.

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