Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud give Team Europe big boost with thumping win over Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Norway’s Casper Ruud have put Team Europe back in contention to win the Laver Cup. The two-team competition is set to be concluded on Sunday where some of the best players in men’s tennis are currently taking part.

In the first contest of the last day, Team Europe secured a much-needed win as the pair of Alcaraz and Ruud managed to overcome America’s pair of Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 7-6.

The winning pair was dominant throughout the contest, producing 31 winners, 17 more than Team World. Alcaraz and Ruud also converted two break points and avoided losing any breakpoints on the day. They won 83 percent of their points on the first serve, considerably higher than the pair of Shelton and Tiafoe, who won 69 percent of their points on the first serve.

The win is crucial for Team Europe, as they started the day needing to win three out of four matches to lift the title. On the other hand, Team World had to win two out of four to clinch the title, and therefore, they still very much remain in the race. In the second contest on the day, world number five Russia’s Daniil Medvedev will face America’s Ben Shelton. This will be the first meeting between the two in professional tennis.

That match will be followed by the match between world number two Germany’s Alexander Zverev facing America’s Tiafoe. It will be the ninth meeting between the two. In the previous eight meetings, the current world number two has a clear edge with eight wins. The last contest of the competition is poised to be a mouthwatering one as it will feature the US Open 2024 runner-up, Taylor Fritz, going up against the current world number three, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. It will only be the second meeting between the two in professional tennis.