Andre Agassi’s men faltered early at the Laver Cup, falling 3-1 on Friday. Still, Team World stormed back in San Francisco, sweeping all four Saturday matches to snatch momentum heading into the decisive Sunday. The last spark came from the man of the hour: Taylor Fritz, who delivered arguably the biggest win of his career by taking down Carlos Alcaraz and igniting his team’s charge. Yet Carlos is Carlos, and today he struck back with fury, crushing Team World to drag Europe back into the fight. And naturally, he had to spice it up, dropping a cheeky confession before Fritz meets Alexander Zverev for the decisive clash.

Carlos Alcaraz delivered in style for Team Europe on Sunday at the Laver Cup. He kept the blue side alive when it mattered most. After the crucial doubles victory alongside Casper Ruud, the Spanish superstar stepped back on court and produced a masterclass. He brought his full array of skills in a must-win singles clash against Francisco Cerundolo. Sporting a blue nasal strip, the World No. 1 brought fire and flair from the very first ball, breathing new life into Europe’s hopes with his ruthless dominance.

After wrapping up his task, Alcaraz couldn’t resist sharing insight into his turnaround from Saturday night’s loss. When asked about backing up doubles win with such a dominant singles performance, he said, “Well, I mean, I had to be different than last night. That’s I think is obvious, but you know, I think the doubles this morning helped me help me a lot, you know, getting a winning start the day with a win playing such a level that day we played, you know, pushing me to play such great tennis.”

And then came the cheeky moment. When reminded that all hopes now rested on Alexander Zverev to beat Taylor Fritz and force a decider, Alcaraz smirked before firing off, “I think yesterday the team were playing exceptionally, everyone, but today is a new day. So, today three points when the pressure is there, no nobody responds, you know in a good way. So, we hope that Taylor Fritz is not going to play like last night,” a jab that sent the crowd roaring.

Yesterday, Carlos Alcaraz entered the court on a 13-match winning streak, fresh off his first singles match since capturing the US Open, his sixth career Grand Slam earlier this month. The Spanish prodigy was riding high, but Taylor Fritz had other plans, ready to rewrite the script on home soil.

Fritz dominated from the baseline, unleashing 17 winners and five aces while demonstrating sharp hands at the net, winning 16 of his 20 net points. The Americans’ fearless aggression and precision dismantled Alcaraz’s rhythm, leaving the world number one scrambling to find answers. Victory marked Fritz’s first triumph over a reigning world number one and served as redemption for last year’s Laver Cup defeat, which had handed Team Europe the title. Yet, he respected Fritz’s performance by saying, “Taylor played a great match, really solid, playing aggressive when he could. I think everything went to his side, so I had to congratulate him and that he played a much better game than I did.” 

Yet Alcaraz was far from done. Later, he electrified the crowd with a dominant win over Francisco Cerundolo, proving that even in defeat, he could awe tennis fans with his skill, flair, and relentless competitiveness. The court remains his stage, and he continues to deliver show-stopping performances with every swing.

Carlos Alcaraz amazes the crowd with a spectacular shot

In the day’s opening match, Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud stepped onto the court against Reilly Opelka and Alex Michelsen, delivering a 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory in an hour and 35 minutes. Alcaraz and Ruud set the tone immediately, generating six break points in the first two return games. Opelka and Michelsen denied them, surviving the early storms and staving off disaster. The Americans held on through two more tense games, eventually forcing a tie-break. With a mini-break in the third point, they surged to a 4-1 advantage, seemingly poised to take control. Yet Carlos and Casper regrouped with precision, seizing two points on the return to pull ahead 5-4 and ultimately clinching the tie-break 7-4, capped by Ruud’s flawless service winner.

Team Europe carried that momentum into the second set, pressuring the Americans early. Their persistence paid off on the first break point at 1-0 after Opelka’s misstep, and a remarkable volley winner from Carlos in the fourth game delivered another break, putting them up 4-0. The world no. 1 wrapped up the fifth game at love with a booming serve, cementing the duo’s dominance.

After the match, Ruud couldn’t hide his awe for Carlos’s flair. “He’s thinking like, ‘I have 17 shots in the book that I can play,’ so I just say please, just, play the one that works the best and then, typically he goes for the most difficult one, but he makes it, so why not? I mean come on. It’s a joke,” he marveled.

Ever the showman, Carlos shared his thought process behind the jaw-dropping shots. “Yeah, I mean, Yeah, sometimes, a lot of ideas come to my mind you know. And in just one second, I had to choose one. As Casper said, you know, I always choose the most difficult one. I don’t know why, but, you know, it’s like this.”

Despite the brilliance of Alcaraz and Ruud, Team Europe couldn’t secure the Laver Cup. Team World won, with Taylor Fritz defeating Alexander Zverev in the decisive match. It’s an incredible achievement for Andre Agassi and Co. as Team Europe hopes to reclaim the trophy next year.