Team World needs only a split of the last four Laver Cup matches and they will turn to Ben Shelton in both singles and doubles to begin the final day. Shelton faces Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s first singles rubber.
Daniil Medvedev (EUR) vs. Ben Shelton (WOR)
If Shelton and Frances Tiafoe win the opening doubles rubber at the Laver Cup on Sunday, Shelton will have a chance to clinch the trophy in the first singles match. Team World holds an 8-4 lead through two days, so it is two match victories away from triumphing over Team Europe. The host Europeans must take three matches on the final day of competition at Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.
As expected, Shelton has been busy this week. The American is 2-0 in doubles and played twice on Saturday, also taking the singles court in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Carlos Alcaraz. Medvedev lost on Day 2, as well, getting edged out by Tiafoe 3-6, 6-4, 10-5. Both Shelton and Medvedev actually played quite well in defeat, so this should be a high-quality contest. The fifth-ranked Russian is more rested and the extremely slow surface will help him withstand Shelton’s power, so Medvedev should have the advantage in this one.
Pick: Medvedev in 2
Alexander Zverev (EUR) vs. Frances Tiafoe (WOR)
If the second singles rubber is necessary, it will feature Zverev and Tiafoe in what would be their ninth encounter. Zverev is dominating the head-to-head series 7-1, but this is a different Tiafoe than the one the German has generally faced in the past. The 16th-ranked American has been in awesome form dating back to Wimbledon, turning around what had been a disappointing season. Top highlights are a runner-up performance at the Cincinnati Masters and a semifinal run at the U.S. Open.
Whereas Tiafoe scored a big win over Medvedev on Saturday at the Laver Cup, Zverev suffered a setback–a 6-4, 7-5 decision against Taylor Fritz. The second-ranked German has underwhelmed since reaching the French Open final and he even looked less than 100 percent from a physical standpoint against Fritz. This is a great opportunity for Tiafoe to keep his momentum going.
Pick: Tiafoe in 3
WWW?
Med in 3; tiafoe in 3.