Team World dominance continues at Laver Cup as Taylor Fritz triumphs over Andrey Rublev for fifth straight win

Taylor Fritz defeated Andrey Rublev 6-2, 7-6(3) and secured the Team World's fifth consecutive win in the Laver Cup.

The second day of the Laver Cup began with the highest-ranked players from each team facing off. On one side was world No. 6 Andrey Rublev, in his second Laver Cup appearance, seeking to earn the first points for Team Europe in this edition after Team World's four consecutive victories on the first day.

Rublev faced world No. 8 Taylor Fritz, with a head-to-head record of 4-3 in favor of the American, the most recent encounter being earlier this year in the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 semifinals, where Rublev won 5-7, 6-1, 6-3, eventually securing the title against Holger Rune.

Rublev started the match somewhat disconnected and quickly lost his service game in the first, giving Fritz an early advantage, which he maintained by holding his service to love. Another break came in the fifth game, where Rublev once again paid for his errors, and Fritz capitalized on the opportunity.

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With a 4-1 lead, the American showed no signs of hesitation with his service and took the set 6-2 in just 27 minutes. Fritz won 89% of the points on his serve, including 100% on the first serve and 82% on the second, while Rublev only managed 52%, with 50% on the first serve and 55% on the second.

Rublev entered the second set with more confidence, determined to improve his effectiveness. This led to him securing an early break in the second game, giving him a 3-0 lead in just a few minutes.

Fritz didn't waver under pressure and persistently sought to challenge his opponent with strong returns, earning a break in the seventh game and leveling the set at 4-4 on his serve.

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Both players held their serves (Rublev squandered a set point at 6-5), taking the set to a tie-break. They both started with a mini-break, but it was Fritz who took more risks and prevented the match from going to a third set, closing it out at 6-2, 7-6(3).

This marks Team World's fifth consecutive victory, and they haven't dropped a single set so far. As it's the second day of the tournament, the matches are now worth two points for a win, making the current partial score 6-0.

The next match will feature Casper Ruud (9th) against Tommy Paul (13th), with Ruud leading the head-to-head 3-1, with all three of his wins over the Norwegian coming in Grand Slams between 2020 and 2022, while Paul's sole victory was in 2017.

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Taylor Fritz d. Andrey Rublev 6-2 7-6(3) Team World now leads Team Europe 5-0. Times are certainly changing.

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