Carlos Alcaraz saved two match points before closing out a 6 to 3, 4 to 6, 13 to 11 win over Taylor Fritz on Saturday, giving Team Europe a 7 to 5 lead at the O2 Arena.
How close was it?
As close as the format allows. Fritz held a first match point that Alcaraz answered with an ace, then a second that he saved with a drop shot. On his own third match point Alcaraz went to the drop again, and Fritz reached it but could not return it. Alcaraz said afterward that the shot is a longstanding part of his game and one he turns to in tight moments.
Who played the better match?
That depends which numbers you use. Fritz committed nine unforced errors to Alcaraz’s 30, a difference that would normally decide a match. Alcaraz led 42 to 20 in winners. One player was clean and the other was dangerous, and across a deciding tiebreak the second quality prevailed.
Why does the result carry extra weight?
Because Fritz had beaten him before, once, in last year’s Laver Cup during Team World’s victory. That remains his only career win over Alcaraz, and he came close to a second.
What happened earlier in the day?
Team World controlled it. Alex de Minaur beat Alexander Zverev 2 to 6, 7 to 6, 11 to 9 after Zverev served for the match and double faulted, and Learner Tien beat Flavio Cobolli 6 to 3, 2 to 6, 10 to 7 on debut, ending a 34 shot rally with a forehand pass. Zverev recovered to win the closing doubles alongside Casper Ruud, beating Alexander Bublik and Brandon Nakashima 6 to 4, 7 to 6.
What did the Zverev loss end?
A nine match winning streak. He had followed his US Open title with two Davis Cup wins for Germany the previous weekend, making this Laver Cup singles defeat his first since August.
Why is 7 to 5 not a comfortable lead?
Because of the scoring. Matches are worth one point on Friday, two on Saturday and three on Sunday, and the first team to 13 wins. Five Sunday matches are available at three points each, which means a two point gap is close to meaningless with the weighting still ahead. Europe led 3 to 1 after Friday and has gained only marginally since.
How is Team World reading it?
As familiar territory. De Minaur pointed out that the same position last year ended well for them, accepted the underdog label and said the group believes it can produce a strong Sunday. He also played through a bleeding right leg after a diving volley, and made a joke about the colour matching his team’s shirts.
What happens Sunday?
Everything, effectively. With three points per match on the final day, the Laver Cup will be decided by who holds up across a handful of matches rather than by anything banked so far.
