Zverev faces Griekspoor in Vienna, one win away from world No. 1 ranking

The match in Vienna

Alexander Zverev plays T. Griekspoor in Vienna on Thursday, 29 October, and a win would make him the new world No. 1 when the rankings take effect on Monday, 2 November. The Dutch player arrives with considerable confidence after winning the ATP 250 tournament in Brussels on Sunday, 25 October, his fourth ATP title. In that Brussels final he dropped the first set before beating Jan-Lennard Struff 4:6, 6:3, 6:4.

A ranking built on a light path

So far this year Zverev has needed only three wins against top-10 opponents: Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon, Alex de Minaur in Shanghai and Ben Shelton in the US Open final. The world No. 1s at the end of each of the past 16 years recorded between nine and 31 wins against players from the top 10. Injuries kept Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz out for long stretches, which spared Zverev many meetings with the very best players. Even so, a player cannot take the top spot without beating the opponents on the other side of the net.

What comes next

After Vienna, the Masters in Paris is on the calendar, followed by the ATP Finals in Turin, the season-ending event that traditionally features only the world's best players. Up to five wins against top-10 opponents remain possible in Turin alone. That would give Zverev a chance to strengthen his record in this category and narrow the gap to his predecessors.