Zverev One Win From World No 1 on Thursday as Djokovic Keeps Turin Dream Alive in Basel

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Thursday 29 October could be the day Alexander Zverev finally reaches the top of men's tennis. The German, 29, faces Tallon Griekspoor in the second round in Vienna, and a win will make him world No 1 on Monday 2 November, the first German to hold the ranking since Boris Becker in 1991. At the same time, in Basel, Novak Djokovic is still fighting for a place at the season ending ATP Finals in Turin, after a comeback win over Ugo Humbert on Wednesday kept his race alive.

These are two very different stories, but they share one theme: the final weeks of the season are not a wind down, they are a shootout. Vienna and Basel both end on Sunday 1 November, the Paris Masters runs from 2 to 8 November as the final qualifying event, and the ATP Finals in Turin run from 15 to 22 November. Every win this week changes the rankings, the seedings and the Turin field.

How does Zverev become world No 1 on Thursday?

Zverev needs one more win in Vienna. He survived a dramatic first round match on Tuesday, beating Martin Landaluce 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 with a tiebreak score of 13-11, after saving four match points in a match that lasted three hours and five minutes. That win, his 63rd of the season, put him into the second round against Griekspoor on Thursday. Win that match and he reaches the quarter finals, and that is enough to lift him to world No 1 on Monday, because Jannik Sinner has 500 points dropping and Sinner has already ended his season with a knee injury.

The details matter because the ranking race is close at the top. Live rankings published before Thursday's play showed Sinner on 9,450 points, Zverev on 9,400, and Carlos Alcaraz on 5,650. Zverev is the only player who can pass Sinner this week, because Sinner is not playing and his points are coming off. Alcaraz, even with a win on Thursday, cannot catch Zverev in the live rankings this week.

If Zverev does it, he will become only the 30th player in history to reach world No 1, and the first new member of that club since Sinner achieved it in June 2024. He would also be the oldest player to claim the year end No 1 for the first time, nudging ahead of Andre Agassi in 1999 by a margin of three days, according to one ranking analysis. Zverev has spoken openly about what the ranking means to him, telling Tennis TV before Vienna that reaching No 1 was a childhood ambition. He won Vienna in 2021, reached the final in 2025 before losing to Sinner in three sets, and has described playing in a German speaking country as carrying a particular edge.

Alcaraz, for his part, has publicly defended Zverev's claim to the ranking, saying Zverev's season long consistency and results make the rise deserved. That is generous, and it is also true: Zverev has won two Grand Slam titles this season, according to Tennis World USA reporting, and he has been the most consistent player on tour over the full year, even if Alcaraz has produced the most spectacular moments.

Who does Alcaraz play on Thursday?

Carlos Alcaraz, seeded second in Vienna, plays Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round on Thursday. Alcaraz beat Karen Khachanov in his first match on Tuesday, 6-4, 7-6, to extend his head to head lead over Khachanov to 7-0 and his record in ATP 500 matches since the 2025 Barcelona final to 22-0. Basilashvili won his first round match on Wednesday against a fellow qualifier, and he will be a dangerous opponent because he hits the ball flat and early, and he has nothing to lose.

Alcaraz is ranked third in the live rankings on 5,650 points before Thursday, and a win over Basilashvili will take him to 5,700 points, still well behind Zverev. That does not mean the match does not matter. Alcaraz is already qualified for Turin, along with Zverev, and his focus in Vienna is on winning the title and building momentum for Paris and Turin. A loss to Basilashvili would be a surprise, but Alcaraz has already shown this week that he can win tight matches, and his hard court record in 2026 is 29-4.

Other Wednesday winners in Vienna included Daniil Medvedev, Adrian Mannarino and Basilashvili himself, while Lorenzo Musetti beat Frances Tiafoe 7-6, 7-5 in the first round. Tiafoe saved five of six break points but could not get over the line, committing 33 unforced errors. Tiafoe was one of three Americans to lose in Vienna on Wednesday, joining Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima.

What did Djokovic do in Basel on Wednesday?

Novak Djokovic, 39, beat Ugo Humbert 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Basel on Wednesday, in his first appearance at the tournament since 2011 and his first indoor match since winning in Athens last November. The match lasted two hours and 26 minutes, Djokovic saved five of six break points, and he won 53 percent of all points, 99 to 89. Humbert, ranked 38th, controlled the first set, but Djokovic broke him in the second after saving two break points of his own, and Humbert took a medical timeout for an apparent back problem when trailing 4-1 in the second set.

Djokovic's own words after the match captured how hard it was. "I was under attack from the very first point and had to weather the storm," he said. "It is my first indoor match, so I expected to be a little bit rusty in a tough draw. It is a big win for me, I know there are quite a few things I can do better but a win is a win, and I will take that today." He added: "It was a super tight match, very intense from the beginning. After that, I started feeling a bit more comfortable with his tempo."

The win was Djokovic's 20th tour level win of the season, extending his run of reaching 20 wins in a season to 21 consecutive years. It was also his first win in Basel since he won the title on his debut in 2009, beating Roger Federer in the final. He lost the final in 2010 and the semi final in 2011, and he has not played the event since. For a player chasing a record 19th appearance at the ATP Finals, a first round win in Basel was not a formality, it was a necessity.

Can Djokovic still qualify for Turin?

Yes, but he still needs more wins. Djokovic is 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, 319 points behind Spain's Rafael Jodar, who occupies the last qualifying place in effect, because Sinner has withdrawn for the season. Only the top eight players qualify for the 15 to 22 November showpiece in Turin, although Sinner's withdrawal means the effective ninth place gets in. Djokovic's win over Humbert stopped him falling further behind Jodar, who had also advanced to the second round in Basel, but it did not close the gap by itself.

Djokovic's next opponent in Basel is Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff, against whom Djokovic holds an 8-0 record. Struff won in straight sets on Wednesday, along with Taylor Fritz and Canada's Denis Shapovalov. Nuno Borges of Portugal and Holger Rune of Denmark also advanced in Basel on Wednesday. If Djokovic beats Struff, he will keep his Turin hopes alive into the quarter finals, and a deep run in Basel, followed by a strong Paris Masters, could still take him past Jodar.

The Turin race is tight behind the top two. Only Zverev and Alcaraz had secured qualification before this week, according to Monday reporting, and the remaining spots will be decided in Vienna, Basel and Paris. Players like Shelton, Cobolli, Medvedev, Tiafoe, Fils, Jodar, De Minaur and Djokovic are all fighting for the same handful of places. Every match in Basel and Vienna this week is therefore a Turin match, even when the players do not say so.

What is the Thursday schedule to watch?

Thursday's headline matches are Zverev against Griekspoor in Vienna, with world No 1 on the line, and Alcaraz against Basilashvili in Vienna, with Alcaraz looking to extend his winning run. In Basel, Djokovic's second round match against Struff is the next step in his Turin chase, although the exact day and time for that match depend on the order of play, so check the ATP schedule on Thursday morning before planning around it.

For fans in different countries, Vienna and Basel are both on Central European Time, which is one hour ahead of London, six hours ahead of New York, and four hours behind Karachi. Evening matches in Vienna and Basel therefore start in the afternoon in London, in the morning in New York, and late at night in Karachi. Day session matches start in the morning in Europe, which means very early morning in New York and afternoon in Karachi. The ATP website and the tournament apps publish the order of play each morning, and that is the best source for exact start times, because second round times can move if earlier matches run long.

Why does this week matter beyond the rankings?

Because it shows how the men's game is changing. Zverev, at 29, is about to become world No 1 for the first time, after years of trying and after Grand Slam success this season. Alcaraz, at 23, is already a multiple Grand Slam champion and the player everyone wants to beat. Djokovic, at 39, is still winning matches at the highest level and still chasing a record 19th ATP Finals appearance, seven years after his last Finals title. Three generations, three different motivations, all playing in the same week in Austria and Switzerland.

For younger players, this week is also a chance to announce themselves. Musetti's win over Tiafoe, Rune's progress in Basel, and the performances of players like Mensik, Tien and others in recent weeks show that the next generation is not waiting for the old guard to retire. They are beating them now, in first rounds, in front of small crowds, and building the rankings that will put them in bigger matches next season.

Thursday will answer one big question: is Alexander Zverev world No 1? If he beats Griekspoor, the answer is yes, from Monday. If he loses, the wait goes on, and Sinner stays on top for another week at least. Either way, Djokovic's fight for Turin continues, Alcaraz keeps building towards Paris, and Vienna and Basel will have given tennis fans a week to remember.

Related live posts: Wawrinka Bows Out in Basel, Djokovic Starts Wednesday: Tuesday Results and Turin Race Update and Tuesday Tennis in Vienna and Basel: Alcaraz and Zverev Start, Wawrinka Farewell, and Djokovic Is Wednesday

Sources: Reuters via Field Level Media, 28 to 29 October 2026; BBC Sport via MyJoyOnline, 28 October 2026; ATP Tour live rankings via Tennis Tonic, 28 October 2026; Particle News, Zverev Vienna report, 28 October 2026; Tennis World USA, 29 October 2026.