Taylor Fritz delivered the final blow at the Laver Cup, defeating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(4) to clinch a 15-9 victory for Team World. The win in San Francisco marks the team's third triumph in the eight editions of the competition, following back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023.
Team World had built a commanding 9-3 lead after sweeping all four matches on Saturday. However, with wins on the final day worth three points, Team Europe still had a chance to mount a comeback. Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud opened Sunday's proceedings by winning their doubles match against Alex Michelsen and Reilly Opelka, narrowing the deficit to 9-6.
Despite the early success for Team Europe, Australia's Alex De Minaur quickly restored Team World's six-point advantage by breezing past Jakub Mensik 6-3, 6-4. This victory put Team World on the brink of victory, needing only one more win to reach the 13 points required to secure the cup.
Alcaraz kept Team Europe's hopes alive with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Francisco Cerundolo, bringing the score to 12-9 and setting the stage for a final showdown. The pressure then fell on Zverev to defeat Fritz, which would have leveled the scores and forced a one-set doubles playoff. However, Fritz, who had beaten Alcaraz the day before, held his nerve to close out the match in straight sets.
After the match, Fritz credited the team environment for his success. "The energy from the team...the moments of winning feel so much better and the moments of losing feel so much worse. You're doing it for all these guys," he said. He also praised his captain, stating, "Seeing a legend of the sport like Andre jumping out of his seat cheering for me, it's just impossible not to give everything you have in every point."
