Taylor Fritz registered a major upset at the Laver Cup on Sunday with his straight sets win over Carlos Alcaraz as Team World extended their lead over Team Europe with three wins in as many singles bouts on the day.
American Fritz coasted to a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Spaniard Alcaraz to take Andre Agassi’s Team World to a 7-3 lead against Team Europe.
“I knew what I had to do before I came out here tonight, the question was just if I was going to be able to do it,” Fritz said.
“I didn’t second guess myself, didn’t play too safe. I played with no fear on the big points,” he added.
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World No.5 Fritz claimed his first victory over the Spanish superstar after
three previous defeats, including one in the Wimbledon semi-finals this year.
With victories from Australian Alex De Minaur and Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, captain Andre Agassi’s team took a 7-3 lead over Team Europe, with the night’s doubles still pending.
The first team to reach 13 points will lift the cup on Sunday.
Two weeks after defeating Italian Jannik Sinner in the US Open final to claim his sixth Grand Slam crown and return to number one, Alcaraz was not at his sharpest.
Fritz capitalized on this with an aggressive game, breaking Alcaraz once in the first set and twice in the second while saving both break points he faced.
Agassi was an energetic observer and adviser on the sidelines at Chase Center, home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry received a warm welcome when he officiated the coin toss, assisted by retired Swiss tennis legend and Laver Cup co-creator Roger Federer, before the Alcaraz-Fritz match.
Team World trailed 3-1 after the opening day.
However, with victories worth two points on Saturday, Team World pulled level with Australian De Minaur’s 6-1, 6-4 win over world number three Alexander Zverev of Germany.
Argentina’s Cerundolo then outlasted Denmark’s Holger Rune 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).
World number eight De Minaur, a late replacement for the injured Frances Tiafoe, raced through the opening set and held firm as third-ranked Zverev kept it close in the second.
“I knew it was only going to get harder,” said De Minaur, who claimed just his third victory over Zverev in 11 encounters.
All three of those wins have come in team events, two at the ATP Cup and one at the United Cup.
“I think it brings a different type of energy,” De Minaur said. “I enjoy when there’s a bench, teammates I’m playing for.”
De Minaur used his speed and a deft touch at the net, saying he needed a wide variety of shots on the unusually slow Laver Cup surface.
De Minaur even channeled Federer, who was in the stands, with an effective backhand slice.
“He wrote the playbook, I just read it,” De Minaur said.
