Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev won clutch singles matches as Team Europe beat Team World 13-8 to retain the Laver Cup on the third and final day of action in the international tournament in Chicago on Sunday.
Federer's hardfought 6-7(5) 7-6(8) 10-7 victory over American John Isner put the Europeans just three points from their victory target and Zverev got them there with a 6-7(3) 7-5 10-7 win over Kevin Anderson.
German Zverev needed to be at his sharpest to get past the South African stalwart but won the final five points of the third set tie-break to ensure Europe would keep the trophy they won at the inaugural event in Prague last year.
"It was such a close match all around, not only this one but all weekend, a few points here and there and it could have been different," said Zverev. "I'm just happy to get the win and we defended the title, that's the most important thing."
It was fitting that 21-year-old Zverev punctuated the triumph for Europe by conquering Anderson, one of the most formidable players of the tournament.
Anderson had teamed up with American Jack Sock to knock off Federer and Novak Djokovic in doubles on day one, then defeated Djokovic in a singles contest on Saturday.
On Sunday, John McEnroe's Team World had taken their first lead of the tournament at 8-7 after the opening doubles when Sock and Isner slipped past Federer and Zverev 4-6 7-6(2) 11-9.
Federer needed to save three match points to disarm Isner's big serve and take the day's opening singles contest, which like all of Sunday's matches was worth three points.
The World Team needed to win one of the first two singles matches to take the tournament down to the final singles clash between Djokovic and Australian Nick Kyrgios but Zverev's victory ensured it was not required.
Grigor Dimitrov, David Goffin and Kyle Edmund were the other members of the triumphant team led by Swedish great Bjorn Borg.
"It’s been an unbelievable week," said Borg. "I’m very proud of my team, we knew it’s going to be very difficult to beat Team World with John as the captain. He has a great team, they’re very professional."
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles, editing by Nick Mulvenney)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
CHICAGO -- Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev powered Europe into a commanding 7-1 lead over the World team at the Laver Cup here Saturday, winning their respective singles matches in contrasting fashion.
World number two Federer was barely ruffled as he cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Nick Kyrgios at Chicago's United Center.
Earlier, Zverev saved a match point to defeat John Isner in day two's opening singles rubber.
Zverev, 21, dug deep to hold off the big-serving Isner to win 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 10-7.
Under the format being used for the tournament, a 10-point tiebreak is used instead of a decisive third set.
READ: Isner a new pop while playing at the Laver Cup
After dominating Friday's opening day, winning three out of the four matches, Europe's progress looked to be checked after Isner grabbed the first set against Zverev.
But rising German star Zverev showed great determination in saving a match point at 6-5 down in the second-set tie-break to level the contest.
Zverev then raced into the lead in the 10-point match tie-break before closing out for the win.
Under the scoring system for the Laver Cup, victories on day two are worth two points each, with victories on day three rising to three points.
Europe needs only 13 points to take the title, which is being held for the second time.
In later matches on Saturday, Novak Djokovic faces Kevin Anderson, while Europe doubles pairing Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin complete the schedule against the World team's Jack Sock and Kyrgios.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
PRAGUE - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal took care of business in their singles matches before teaming up in an eagerly anticipated doubles pairing to extend Europe's lead over players from the rest of the world in the inaugural Laver Cup on Saturday.
The new team tennis event, kicking off in Prague and moving to the United States next year, was a first chance for the world's top two players to play competitively side by side.
Putting aside a rivalry rekindled this season after Spaniard Nadal and Swiss Federer swept all four grand slams, the pair outlasted and outclassed Americans Sam Querrey and Jack Sock to win 6-4 1-6 1-0(10-5) in the weekend's headline match.
The doubles victory put Team Europe up 9-3 going into the final day when the four matches are each worth three points.
"We will always forever be rivals as long as we are active. And after this we will be rivals again," said Federer, ranked number two in the world and holder of 19 career grand slam titles to top-ranked Nadal's 16.
"But this was something very special. Knowing you can trust him in the big moments, seeing his decision-making, seeing his thought process, it was very interesting."
"It was definitely a different day to other days in my life," he added.
The Laver Cup, named after Australian tennis hero Rod Laver, is attempting to add new excitement to the sport in an already crowded calendar and was the brainchild of Federer and his sports management company Team8.
The Europeans are the clear favourites with five of the world's top seven players and have won five of the six singles matches in the first two days.
In Saturday's first match, Federer cruised through 6-4 6-2 against world number 16 Querrey.
Nadal then glided through his first set before the hard-hitting Sock fought back to force a third set, which under the event's rules is a rapid-fire, 10-point tiebreak.
Sock, who had teamed up with Australian Nick Kyrgios on Friday to take down Nadal and Czech Tomas Berdych to get Team World's only point on the opening day, again had to claw his way out of a hole.
But Nadal kept his nerve and ended the match with a winner at the net on the sleek, black hardcourt at O2 Arena to win 6-3 3-6 1-0(11-9).
In the evening session, Kyrgios defeated Berdych, taking late control to win 4-6 7-6(4) 1-0(10-6).
Nadal and Federer capped the evening with a thrilling win over Querrey and Sock, even after an early miscue almost caused Nadal to hit his partner as they both went for an overhead smash.
"We played with too much energy, so went for everything," Nadal said of the near-miss.
After Federer served to take the first set, the American pair flew through the second 6-1 with some big serves.
Two crushing winners at the net by Nadal gave him and Federer the momentum to take them easily through the tiebreak.
Despite questions over competitiveness most matches have been tight and players have shown their approval.
The Team World bench has stood out with players joking around, choreographing their celebrations after points and leading the crowd in the Mexican Wave.
(Editing by Clare Fallon)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
PRAGUE - Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev won their opening singles to put Team Europe ahead of Team World after day one of the inaugural Laver Cup in Prague on Friday.
Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock then handed Team World their first point by beating Tomas Berdych and world number one Rafael Nadal in the day's closing doubles rubber to round off the score at 3-1 for Europe.
"I'm happy the way the day went, we had a couple of wins that were super close and we could lose," said Roland Garros and US Open champion Nadal.
"We have a good result for our team. Happy to go to back to bed with 3-1 and tomorrow is another day."
With four matches a day -- three singles and a doubles, the players can earn a point for each win on Friday, two on Saturday and three on Sunday.
World number five Cilic beat 72nd-ranked Frances Tiafoe, a replacement for the injured Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/0) in the tournament opener.
The big-serving Croat and the 19-year-old American held on to their serves in the first set before earning a break apiece in the second, with Cilic showing better nerves in both tie-breakers.
Seventh-ranked Austrian Thiem then put Europe 2-0 ahead, beating world number 17 John Isner 6-7 (15/17), 7-6 (7/2), 10/8.
Isner offered his regular dose of aces as both held on to their serves throughout the rubber, taking it to the 10-point super tie-break used to decide games tied after two sets.
Isner went 4-0 up in the super tie-break, but the patient Austrian came back to win the rubber.
In a clash of the teams' youngest players, the 20-year-old world number four, Zverev, overpowered 18-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5) in another rubber without breaks.
In the doubles, Berdych lost his serve halfway through the first set as off-court friends Kyrgios and Sock seemed far more comfortable on the black court of Prague's O2 Arena.
Berdych and Nadal regained some momentum in the second set, but the Team World duo grabbed the super tie-break.
Skippering Team Europe, Bjorn Borg decided to rest world number two Roger Federer on Friday while John McEnroe decided not to use his highest-ranked player, 16th-ranked Sam Querrey.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
