Fritz and Shelton pull off upset against Alcaraz and Zverev at Laver Cup

Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton surprised Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, evening the Laver Cup series with a score of 7-6, 6-4. The American duo excelled with their serve and showcased excellent teamwork to finish the first day of the tournament tied at 2-2.

This was arguably the most notable match of the first day in terms of star power, as both teams featured their top players. Team Borg opted for his two best singles players, Alexander Zverev (No. 2) and Carlos Alcaraz (No. 3), while McEnroe selected Americans Taylor Fritz (No. 7) and Ben Shelton (No. 17).

In the early games, both teams focused on attacking the player at the net, knowing that neither of them was particularly strong at volleying, with Alcaraz being the exception—though he didn't seem entirely confident at the net. Team World gave no chances with their serves, while Team Europe began to struggle when Alcaraz faced his first service game and had a couple of break points against him, giving Team World a 3-1 advantage.

Everything seemed to be in favor of Team World, which was up 5-3 and serving, but Zverev took the lead back with a stunning cross-court forehand, achieving a break that lifted the Europeans. The set went to a tie-break, where an early break for Team World ultimately secured them the set 7-6(5).

Team Europe started serving in the second set, and both Alcaraz and Zverev improved their first serves. They had four break opportunities in the fourth game but couldn't convert them. With the score tied at 4-4 and Zverev serving, the decisive break came for Shelton and Fritz, allowing them to serve out the match. Ben Shelton seized the opportunity, clinching the victory in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4, and tying the series between the teams at 2-2 after the first day of competition.

Grigor Dimitrov had a standout performance to defeat Alejandro Tabilo, securing the second point for Europe. In a closely contested first set, the world No. 10 showcased his experience to stay in the match while battling evenly with the Chilean. The only break points in the set were for Tabilo, but the Bulgarian managed to fend them off with strong first serves. After reaching a tie-break, Dimitrov took the first set 7-6(4), recovering from a mini-break against him.

In the second set, the South American surprised everyone by raising his level and securing two consecutive breaks, putting him ahead 5-1. While it seemed like the match would head to a super tie-break, Dimitrov improved his return game and played much more aggressively, with the support of the local crowd boosting him in a challenging set. The Bulgarian saved three set points on return and eventually won five consecutive games before everything was decided in the tie-break, closing out the victory 7-6(4), 7-6(2).