American Taylor Fritz pulled off a major upset, defeating world number one Carlos Alcaraz to help Team World turn the tide and take a commanding 9-3 lead over Team Europe on the second day of the Laver Cup.
After trailing 3-1 on Friday, Team World won all four matches on Saturday, completely shifting the momentum of the competition.
Fritz, the world number five, secured a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 victory against Alcaraz, who was previously undefeated against him.
The win marked Fritz’s first victory over a world number one player and avenged his loss to Alcaraz at last year’s Laver Cup, a defeat that had clinched the title for Team Europe. Fritz described the win as one of the best moments of his career, citing his ability to earn decisive points as a key factor.
Alcaraz was playing in his first singles match since winning the US Open and his 13-match winning streak was broken by the American. Fritz overpowered the Spaniard from the baseline, hitting 17 winners and five aces while also showing great skill at the net.
The day’s clean sweep for Team World began with Australian Alex de Minaur’s surprise 6-1 6-4 victory over German world number three Alexander Zverev.
Argentine Francisco Cerundolo then upset Danish world number 11 Holger Rune with a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) win. The day was capped off by de Minaur and American Alex Michelsen’s 6-3 6-4 doubles victory against Casper Ruud and Rune.
With two points awarded for each win on Saturday, Team World now needs just two more victories on Sunday to reach the 13 points required to lift the trophy.
However, with three points on the line for each win on the final day, the defending champions, Team Europe, still have a chance to mount a comeback. Europe has won five of the seven editions of the event.
