Team Europe reclaim Laver Cup as Zverev seals 13–5 win over Team World

Team Europe reclaimed the Laver Cup on Sunday, beating Team World 13–5 at London’s O2 Arena after Alexander Zverev defeated Learner Tien in the match that secured the trophy. Europe had carried a narrow 7–5 lead into the final day; two wins worth three points each settled the contest before the remaining matches could be played.

Zverev beat the American 7–6 (7–3), 6–3. He saved a set point in the first set, according to Agence France-Presse, before taking the tiebreak and then the second set. The result gave Europe the three points it needed to reach the competition’s winning threshold of 13.

Two Sunday wins decide the title

Flavio Cobolli and Jakub Mensik had opened Sunday’s play by defeating Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz 7–5, 6–3 in doubles. That lifted Europe from 7–5 to 10–5 and left it one victory away. Zverev’s singles win supplied that victory, completing the turnaround from Team World’s title win the previous year.

The official Laver Cup results list the scheduled singles between Carlos Alcaraz and de Minaur and between Rafael Jódar and Fritz as not played. Once Zverev had taken Europe to 13 points, those matches could no longer change the outcome. Europe finished the three-day event with its sixth title, according to RTVE.

After the deciding match, Zverev said he was happy to have won at the event after going two years without a victory there. He also credited Team World for pushing Europe and said his team had good chemistry. Yannick Noah captained Europe; Andre Agassi led Team World.

How Europe kept its lead on Saturday

Europe’s path to Sunday’s finish depended on Alcaraz’s narrow win over Fritz the previous day. Alcaraz saved two match points in the deciding tiebreak and won 6–3, 4–6, 13–11. BBC Sport reported that an ace erased one match point and a drop shot saved the other; another drop shot ended the contest on Alcaraz’s third match point.

Alcaraz said his drop shot was part of his game and that he turned to it in close, important moments because it had worked well against Fritz. BBC Sport counted 42 winners for Alcaraz and 20 for Fritz. The match gave Europe two points at a stage when Team World was threatening to take control of Saturday’s play.

Team World had already gained ground through de Minaur’s comeback against Zverev and Tien’s 6–3, 2–6, 10–7 win over Cobolli. After Alcaraz beat Fritz, Zverev returned alongside Casper Ruud to defeat Alexander Bublik and Brandon Nakashima 6–4, 7–6 (9–7) in doubles. Those results left Europe ahead 7–5 overnight.

Readers following Saturday’s contest can revisit the earlier account of Alcaraz’s saved match points and Europe’s lead. Sunday’s result resolved the question left by that narrow advantage: Cobolli and Mensik won first, then Zverev closed the title race against Tien.

A lead built over three days

The competition began on Friday, September 25. Europe won three of the four points available that day: Ruud beat Francisco Cerundolo, Jódar beat Bublik, and Alcaraz partnered Mensik to beat Bublik and Fritz. Brandon Nakashima earned Team World’s point against Mensik. Europe’s 3–1 opening lead gave it room to withstand World’s two Saturday singles wins.

The scoring made Sunday especially consequential. Friday wins counted for one point each, Saturday wins for two and Sunday wins for three. As The Guardian reported, Europe needed two wins from four possible Sunday matches after starting the day 7–5 ahead. The opening doubles and Zverev’s singles match delivered exactly those two wins.

The London event ran from September 25 to 27. AFP describes the Laver Cup, which began in 2017, as an exhibition competition that awards no ranking points. Sunday’s outcome determined the team trophy: Europe regained it from the defending champions, Team World, and the historical title count moved to six for Europe and three for World, according to RTVE.