SAN FRANCISCO—As anticipated, day two at Laver Cup proved pivotal. In a swift turn of events, Team World swept all four of Saturday’s matches (each worth two points) to take a commanding 9-3 lead over Team Europe.
While the most surprising result was surely Taylor Fritz’s 72-minute victory over world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, the MVP of the Team World effort was Alex de Minaur. A last-minute substitute for Frances Tiafoe, the tenacious Aussie kicked off the day with a comprehensive dismantling of Alexander Zverev and then capped off by night by pairing with Alex Michelsen to win a doubles match versus Casper Ruud and Holger Rune.
And now, with each victory counting for three points, should Team World win two matches on Sunday, it will reach the 13-point tally required to win the 2025 Laver Cup and take the title for the third time in the last four years. For Team Europe to conclusively win the title for the sixth time in Laver Cup’s eight-year history, it needs to emerge triumphant in all four of the day’s matches. The other scenario calls for Team Europe on Sunday to earn three victories, in which case the competition would be tied at 12 points apiece and decided by a single set of doubles.
Here’s more of what’s to come on the 2025 Laver Cup’s final day:
Carlos Alcaraz-Casper Ruud (Team Europe) vs. Alex Michelsen-Reilly Opelka (Team World)
An intriguing pairing for Team Europe. Ruud kicked off Team World’s campaign nicely with a win in Friday’s opener versus Opelka. Alcaraz, outplayed last night by Fritz, is not eager to lose two matches in a row, and is almost certain to overtly display his passionate desire to win in the first 15 minutes of the match.
The Team World duo of Americans Michelsen and Opelka figures to serve big and find creative ways to manage and perhaps even avoid the Alcaraz arsenal. While rookie Michelsen earned his first Laver Cup victory in Saturday’s night doubles, Opelka today seeks to at last add a win to his Laver Cup resume.