Bergs' Historic Win
Zizou Bergs Captures First ATP Tour Title at Eastbourne, Achieves Career-High Ranking
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Key Points
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Bergs became the seventh first-time ATP Tour champion of 2026 with this Eastbourne title.
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The victory lifted Bergs to a career-high No. 37 in the ATP rankings, rising 11 places after the win.
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The Eastbourne final was paused by rain on Saturday after just three games and had to be completed the next day, setting up a Wimbledon first-round rematch against Humbert.
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Humbert had led 5-3 in the first set before Bergs surged back, with Humbert compiling a streak of 16 unforced errors in that stretch.
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Bergs saved both break points he faced in the final two sets and sealed the title when Humbert’s backhand return drifted into the net on championship point.
Zizou Bergs claimed his first ATP Tour title on Sunday, defeating Ugo Humbert 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the rain-delayed final of the Lexus Eastbourne Open. The 27-year-old Belgian came from a set down to win, becoming the first Belgian man ever to lift an ATP trophy on grass Belga News Agency.
The victory shot Bergs from No. 48 to a career-high No. 37 in the world rankings — an 11-place jump — and made him the seventh first-time ATP champion of 2026, according to beIN SPORTS. He now heads into Wimbledon on the back of his biggest win, with a first-round rematch against Humbert already scheduled.
Rain Delay Breaks Humbert's Momentum in Final
Saturday's final started cleanly enough, but rain stopped play after just three games with Humbert leading 2-1. The match was suspended overnight and resumed Sunday. When play picked back up, Humbert pushed ahead to take the first set 6-3, according to SuperSport.
Then Humbert fell apart. After committing just three unforced errors in the first set, he racked up 16 in the second, per Reuters. Bergs won that set 6-1. In the decider, the pair stayed level until 3-3. Bergs broke, held serve, and closed it out. Humbert's backhand return drifted into the net on championship point — and it was over in exactly two hours of total play.
Bergs Arrived on a Six-Match Losing Streak
Bergs did not look like a future champion entering the week. He had lost six straight tour-level matches before Eastbourne. He had also lost two ATP finals in 2025 — one in Auckland and one in 's-Hertogenbosch on grass — without getting over the line, according to Belga News Agency.
But he held firm when it counted most. Bergs saved all two break points he faced in the final two sets. After lifting the trophy, he said: "If the results are not there, we keep focusing on improving. And that's why we're here today, standing with the trophy," per Reuters.
A Historic First for Belgian Men on Grass
No Belgian man had ever won an ATP title on grass before Sunday. That includes David Goffin, who reached a career-high of No. 7 in the world, and Xavier Malisse, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals. Both came close but never broke through on the surface, according to World Tennis Magazine.
Belgium's women had long dominated grass — Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters both won at the top level. Now Bergs has put Belgian men's tennis back on the map. His rise comes alongside 20-year-old Alexander Blockx, who recently reached the Madrid semifinals, hinting at a broader Belgian resurgence, per Belga News Agency.
Wimbledon Rematch With Humbert Comes in Two Days
Humbert was gracious in defeat. At the trophy ceremony he said: "Zizou, I would like to congratulate you... See you in two days for the rematch at Wimbledon!" per beIN SPORTS. The two are drawn to meet in the first round at Wimbledon on June 30.
Bergs enters that match with a clear psychological edge and a career-high ranking. His move into the top 40 also means he gets direct entry into most Masters 1000 events for the rest of the 2026 season — a major step up for a player long seen as a Challenger-level threat, according to WIFC.
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