Belgian Zizou Bergs has secured the biggest win of his career, stunning world No.5 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2 to light up the United Cup in Sydney on Tuesday.
The win handed Belgium a surprise 1-0 lead against Canada, while also delivering Bergs his first-ever top-five victory.
With the win, Bergs becomes the first Belgian man in history to secure a singles victory at the United Cup.
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A dejected Felix Auger-Aliassime reacts during his shock defeat to Zizou Bergs at the United Cup. Brett Hemmings via Getty Images
After dropping his season opener to China’s Zhang Zhizhen after struggling to make inroads on return, the 26-year-old Bergs bounced back emphatically to stun Auger-Aliassime in one hour and 28 minutes.
“Really happy with the performance. I think this also shows our strength we have,” Bergs said post-match.
“We can fall down, but we will get back up and try to be better [than] we were the day before.
“This is what we do, and I’m also very thankful to have that team around me.”
The victory was the second top-10 win of Bergs’ career. He previously upset then-world No.9 Andrey Rublev in straight sets at the Miami Open last March.
Zizou Bergs celebrates a historic straight-sets victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime at the United Cup. Brett Hemmings via Getty Images
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“I actually forgot this was my second top-10 win, so that’s really huge, actually, especially with a convincing way of playing,” Bergs said.
“I just looked at it as a match.
“This is a little different format, so we’re still down. We still have to win a lot of matches today, so that was more the focus and today I just had to get the job done.”
Canada entered the tie in the box seat, needing just a single match win to top Group B and progress to the quarter-finals.
However, the door remains open for Belgium; a clean 3-0 sweep would see the nation leapfrog the Canadians to claim the group.
Auger-Aliassime entered the new year on a high after a career-best 2025, which was highlighted by a US Open semi-final run and a deep showing at the ATP Finals.
While he looked sharp in his opening-day win over Zhang, he met a brick wall in Bergs; the world No.42 refused to blink under pressure, saving all five break points to deny Auger-Aliassime any foothold in the match.
In the second rubber, Belgian star Elise Mertens took on Canadian teen sensation Victoria Mboko in a high-stakes top-20 showdown.
Serving struggles proved costly for Mboko in the opening frame, as a string of double faults allowed Mertens to clinically claim the first set 6-3.
However, the 19-year-old found another gear in the second, shaking off those early nerves to level the match and force a deciding set.
The comeback began with a pivotal hold, as Mboko staved off a break point in the opening game before immediately turning the tables on Mertens, breaking the Belgian’s serve to power through a 6-3 set.
Mertens secured a decisive break in the fourth game of the third set and held firm to consolidate, leaving Mboko visibly frustrated as the match began to slip away.
The world No.19 served out the match, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to secure the tie for Belgium.