Alcaraz saves two match points as Europe lead World 7-5 at Laver Cup
Carlos Alcaraz saved two match points to beat Taylor Fritz 6-3, 4-6, 13-11 and keep Team Europe 7-5 ahead of Team World at the Laver Cup.
The deciding tie-break, played instead of a third set and won by the first to 10 points with a two-point cushion, closed Saturday night at London's O2 Arena. Europe now need six more points on the final day to take the trophy BBC Sport.
Sunday is when the maths jumps. Every win is worth three points, and the first team to 13 points lifts the trophy. Europe are chasing a sixth Laver Cup title. Holders Team World are chasing a third.
Alcaraz struck first, Fritz answered. The Spaniard took the opening set 6-3 with fast, flat hitting, then Fritz levelled 6-4 by holding serve under pressure. The match tie-break swung both ways before Alcaraz closed it 13-11.
The numbers tell the attacking story. Alcaraz hit 42 winners to Fritz's 20. That is the risk and the reward. When it landed, Fritz had no time. When it missed, the American stayed alive.
Alex de Minaur produced the other great escape. He lost the first set 2-6 to Alexander Zverev, then took a second-set tie-break 7-5 before winning the match tie-break 11-9. A tie-break is a race to seven points, again by two clear points, used here to settle a level set.
Saturday opened with Learner Tien beating Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 2-6, 10-7 for Team World. The night then tilted back to Europe in doubles, where Zverev and Casper Ruud beat Alexander Bublik and Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-6 (9-7).
That split leaves the contest finely balanced. Europe led 3-1 after Day 1 in London, with Alcaraz and Jakub Mensik beating their doubles opponents 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 27 minutes. Two wins apiece on Saturday kept that gap at two points.
What makes this stand out is the nerve. A match point is a chance to win the whole match on the spot. Alcaraz faced two and kept swinging. For fans, this means Sunday is live. One three-point win changes everything, and no lead is safe.
