Alcaraz leads Team Europe to Laver Cup title, Rybakina to skip big Asian events due to injury

Carlos Alcaraz delivered a pair of stunning performances in Berlin to help Team Europe complete a thrilling come-from-behind 13-11 victory to lift the Laver Cup title.

The Spaniard dispatched Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5 in a winner-takes-all singles clash on Sunday night to ensure Team Europe lifted the team event trophy for the first time since 2021.

By defeating Fritz, Alcaraz secured three points and his second singles win of the action-packed weekend, during which he earned a total of eight points for the men in blue.

It’s the fifth Laver Cup title for Team Europe, providing an unforgettable moment for outgoing captain Bjorn Borg, who closes out his tenure with a 5-2 record over longtime rival, friend, and Team World captain John McEnroe.

Team Europe, which started the day at a 4-8 deficit, mounted an impressive comeback led by Alcaraz and Casper Ruud, who triumphed in the day’s opening doubles match over Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe to thrust their side into contention.

Though Daniil Medvedev lost a tough battle, decided by a Laver Breaker, against Shelton, local hero Alexander Zverev kept Team Europe’s hopes alive by eking out a win over Tiafoe in another Laver breaker.

“We did it for you,” Alcaraz said while hugging Borg after first being encircled by his ecstatic teammates who charged onto the iconic black court to celebrate with the debutant.

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

“It’s really difficult to watch the matches from outside, you know, a lot of nerves, killing us. It’s always tough to play Team World at Laver Cup,” Borg said. “I’m very proud of my team,” he added.

Meanwhile, world number four Elena Rybakina on Monday withdrew from the Asian swing of the WTA Tour with a back problem.

She will miss the last two WTA 1000 tournaments of the season in Beijing, which starts next week, and in Wuhan next month.

“Due to an ongoing back injury, I regretfully have to withdraw from the upcoming Asian tournaments,” said the 25-year old Kazakh in a statement on the WTA website.

“While I’ve been working hard on my recovery, my medical team and I have decided it’s best to prioritise my health at this time.”

Rybakina said she hoped to be fit for the season-ending WTA Finals, which features the year’s eight best players in Riyadh on November 2-9.

She is third in the qualifying standings.

“This has been a challenging year,” she said. “My team and I will work on getting me back on the court before the season finale.”

Rybakina won three WTA 500 titles at the start of the season in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart and reached the finals of the WTA 1000 events in Doha and Miami.

She reached the second round at the Australian Open, the quarter-finals of the French Open and the semi-finals at Wimbledon, but had to withdraw before her second match at the US Open with the back injury. She has not played competitively since.

Elsewhere, fresh off her second major title of the year at the US Open, World No.2 Sabalenka is seeded No.1 in Beijing and will open against either a qualifier or lucky loser.

She is a two-time quarter-finalist in Beijing and goes into the final weeks of the season with an eye toward chasing down No.1 Swiatek to finish the year atop the PIF WTA Rankings. Both Swiatek and Sabalenka have already secured qualification for the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Sabalenka and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova are the top seeds in the top quarter. Seeded No.7, the Czech is playing just her third tournament since her Wimbledon win.

Looming in the top quarter is Seoul champion Beatriz Haddad Maia, who has made the final or better at two of her last three tournaments. She has won 12 of her past 14 matches.

Agencies