LONDON : Carlos Alcaraz saved two match points before beating Taylor Fritz in a thriller on Saturday as Team Europe recovered from an early deficit to take a 7-5 lead over Team World heading into the final day of the Laver Cup.
Alex de Minaur had earlier stunned world number two Alexander Zverev 2-6, 7-6(5), 11-9, while Learner Tien defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 2-6, 10-7 to put Team World 5-3 ahead.
Alcaraz then beat Fritz 6-3, 4-6, 13-11 before Zverev and Casper Ruud combined to defeat Alexander Bublik and Brandon Nakashima in the late doubles match and give Europe the overnight lead.
The world number three’s victory over Fritz was his first against a top-10 opponent since the Australian Open final. Alcaraz is playing only his second tournament since the U.S. Open after a four-month injury layoff.
The Spaniard faced match points at 10-9 and 11-10 in the deciding match tiebreak. He saved the first with an ace and the second with a drop shot before sealing victory on his third match point with another delicate drop shot.
Alcaraz lost to Fritz at last year’s Laver Cup in San Francisco, where Team World won the competition.
“I was thinking a little bit about last year,” Alcaraz said. “I was trying not to let it happen again. I was kind of nervous in the beginning, I’m not going to lie, but I’m really happy I took it in the end.”
De Minaur prevails against Zverev
De Minaur rallied from a set down to beat Zverev earlier on Saturday, helping Team World erase Europe’s 3-1 overnight advantage.
Zverev dominated the opening set with powerful forehands close to the sidelines, but the German was unable to close out the second set after moving 5-4 ahead and serving for it.
Two double faults handed De Minaur a break, and the Australian levelled the match by winning the tiebreak.
“Check his oil,” Team World captain Andre Agassi told De Minaur, urging him to make the 29-year-old Zverev work through long rallies.
The advice proved effective in the deciding 10-point tiebreak. De Minaur used repeated cross-court shots to frustrate Zverev when the German led 9-8 before earning match point and sealing victory with a precise backhand down the line.
“It was a tough battle, I left it all out there,” De Minaur said after securing his second straight Laver Cup win over Zverev.
Earlier, Tien defeated French Open finalist Cobolli in another deciding tiebreak.
The American made a fast start, taking a 4-0 lead as he controlled play from the net. Cobolli recovered with a break but could not prevent Tien from taking the opening set.
The Italian carried the momentum into the second set, breaking twice to level the match before Tien prevailed in the match tiebreak.
With two points available for each match victory on the second day, Team Europe need to maintain their lead on Sunday to reclaim the title, while Team World must overturn the deficit to retain the trophy.
