Taylor Fritz continues winning streak against Alexander Zverev at the Laver Cup | ATP Tour

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Fritz continues winning streak against Zverev at the Laver Cup

Shelton/Tabilo win evening doubles and secure Team World an 8:4 lead after day 2

21 September 2024

Is Taylor Fritz ready for a season-ending sprint that will take him to the Nitto ATP Finals?

The Team World star scored his seventh win over a top-10 opponent in 2024 on Saturday by defeating Team Europe's Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-5 at the Laver Cup. Fritz recovered from a 2-4 deficit in the second set before securing a victory in an hour and 57 minutes, his third consecutive tour-level triumph over the German, putting Team World on course for an 8-4 lead after Day 2 in Berlin.

“I think over the years we've always had close matches,” Fritz said in his post-match press conference about his rivalry with Zverev. “I think the matches fit well together. I can serve and hold my serve because he's very difficult to break. You have to have a good serve to stay in the match against him, otherwise he'll just serve you out of the game.”

“His backhand is incredibly good. I think my backhand is my stronger side as well, so I feel like I can maybe neutralize him and compete on that side where some people might not be able to stay in a pattern. But the most important thing is that I just played well.”

Back again 🔝 @Taylor_Fritz97 gives Team World a 6-4 lead after a 6-4, 7-5 triumph over Zverev.@LaverCup | #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/zAHTgLVl39

— ATP Tour (@atptour) 21 September 2024

Fritz, 26, arrived in Germany after reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, where he defeated Zverev in the quarterfinals in four sets. Having also won the pair's fourth-round match at Wimbledon in July, he now leads the German 6-5 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Fritz hit a series of blistering winners from distance to defeat Zverev on home soil in Berlin, where Team World and its captain John McEnroe are chasing a third straight win in the team tournament. Although Zverev took advantage of the home team's support to earn a break in the second set, he could not sustain his attack as Fritz secured a victory in which he hit 27 winners while his opponent hit 11.

Although no PIF ATP ranking points will be awarded this week at the Laver Cup, where Fritz competes as world No. 7, Saturday night's win over favorite Zverev at Uber Arena was further evidence of the momentum the American has started the final two months of the season with. He is fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is aiming for a second Nitto ATP Finals appearance.

Ben Shelton and Alejandro Tabilo impressively extended Fritz's momentum for Team World by scoring a comfortable doubles win over Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final match of the day. The pair triumphed comfortably 6-1, 6-2 to extend John McEnroe's men's lead to 8-4 heading into day three, which features four three-point matches.

“We are [Shelton and Tabilo] “We stuck together and did great,” said McEnroe, the captain of Team World, in his on-court interview. “We had a great day and are excited for tomorrow.”

“We need two wins and I think we will go full steam ahead in the doubles tomorrow. I am happy with our chances and hope that if we win that, we will have one of three [singles matches]. The European team is great, three of the four best players in the world are in the European team, so we know we have our hands full, but we are totally motivated for tomorrow.”