What was different for Taylor Fritz against Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday night?
“Getting out of that first game.”
After saving two break points to start the third singles match on the second day of the Laver Cup, Fritz dominated the world No. 1 6-3, 6-2 in a stunning-wire-to-wire victory that Tennis Channel commentator Mark Knowles called “71 minutes that Taylor Fritz will remember for the rest of his life.”
Not only was the stunner Fritz’s first win in four attempts against Alcaraz. It also continued Team World’s upward momentum for the weekend, increasing the home team’s lead to 7-3 on the overall scoreboard after earlier wins for Alex de Minaur and Francisco Cerundolo over Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune.
“I knew what I had to do before I came out here tonight; the question was just if I was going to be able to do it,” Fritz said.
He did indeed, in a performance that Knowles also called “pure magic.” The American won 80% of the points on his first serve and was never broken, while breaking the Spaniard three times.
Entering the match with 13 consecutive match wins, Alcaraz never was able to find the extra gear to overcome a charging Fritz. He made 19 unforced errors in 17 games, while Fritz only made 10 (to go along with 17 winners).
“The other three times I’ve played Carlos, he’s broken me first game every single time,” Fritz continued. “That’s not how you want to start against someone like him. Getting out of that first game was huge, and just playing a lot of the big points with conviction.
“I didn’t second-guess myself. I didn’t play too safe. I played with no fear on a lot of the big points.”
Part of the “magic,” too, might’ve come from Fritz’s connection with captain Andre Agassi.
The top-ranked U.S. player called playing under the International Tennis Hall of Famer “an honor” and that the two had been talking shop “all day” in preparation for the match.
“I feel like I’ve always played some of my best tennis at Laver Cup,” Fritz said. “I think having the guys on the bench, Andre right there, John [McEnroe] in past years, it really fires you up, and for me, it’s always brought out my best.”