BACK-to-back victories for Carlos Alcaraz on the third and final day of the Laver Cup helped steer Team Europe to a memorable 13-11 victory over Team World in Berlin. After facing a 4-8 deficit heading into the day and then was 7-11 down after Ben Shelton‘s upset victory over Daniil Medvedev, it was local hope Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz who dug deep to win over in-form American duo Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz respectively.

The script could not have been written better when Alcaraz and Fritz stepped out on court for the 12th match of the exhibition contest, with the winner-takes-all approach from both players. The Spaniard came away with the victory, looking far too strong early and then held Fritz at bay during the second set to win it 6-2 7-5.

Alcaraz won 80 per cent of his first serve points and broke four times to one during the match to set up the victory, impressively backing up from his earlier doubles win with Casper Ruud against Shelton and Tiafoe. In that match, the Spaniard and Norwegian won 6-2 7-6 to give their side hope to start the final day.

Team Europe needed three wins from four matches on the final day, and when Shelton upstaged Medvedev in a third set super tiebreak 6-7 7-5 10-5, it left no room for error from the home team. Up stepped Zverev who faced a set deficit against Tiafoe, only to work his way back in and come away with the 6-7 7-5 10-5 triumph which opened the door for the do-or-die final match.

“It’s great, obviously we came here with a goal, all of us, that is to win the Laver Cup,” Alcaraz said after his singles.

“We almost lost, you know, but Sascha [Zverev] came with really good tennis, and give me the chance to win the Laver Cup so I think we are really, really happy with everything.

“It’s really difficult to watch the matches from outside, you know, a lot of nerves, killing us.”

The victory broke Team World’s two-title streak at the event having won in 2022-23 after Team Europe dominated the head-to-head.

“It’s always tough to play Team World at Laver Cup,” Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg said. “I’m very proud of my team.”

The conclusion of the seventh Laver Cup also marks the change into a new era with both Borg and Team World captain John McEnroe stepping aside from their respective roles. Frenchman Yannick Noah will take over the captaincy of Team Europe, while Andre Agassi will carry on the legacy for Team World.