Federer, Nadal win as Team Europe maintains two-point Laver Cup lead

September 21, 2019 Ricky Match recaps 58

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are shouldering the load for Team Europe at the Laver Cup.

What’s new?

Nothing is new, and neither is the Europeans finding themselves in control of this annual team competition. Federer and Nadal won a singles matches for the home team’s only points on Saturday, leaving it with a two-point lead over Team World heading into finale Sunday.

The visitors started the day in victorious fashion, as John Isner edged Alexander Zverev 6-7(2), 6-4, 10-1.

“I wasn’t making any inroads on his serve and he was the better player for 85 percent of the match,” Isner admitted. “Once I got up 5-4, I had a lot of momentum and that showed in the match tiebreak. Maybe we’re turning the tables. Team World is in this and we’re here to win it.”

Isner’s underdog squad will need a huge effort on Sunday in order to win it–taking at least three of the four matches, to be exact. That’s because Federer and Nadal won the next two singles matches on Saturday.

Federer overcome Nick Kyrgios 6-7(5), 7-5, 10-7, while Nadal got the best of Milos Raonic 6-3, 7-6(1).

“I was hoping it was going to be like this,” Federer commented. “It was amazing. It was tough to lose that first set. I needed to get some energy, so I was just trying to stay with Nick because if you can turn it around, you can get the crowd behind you. I need some earplugs for the next match.”

The next match saw Nadal face break points in each of his first three service games. The reigning French Open and U.S. Open champion saved all of them and eventually earned two breaks of his own to run away with the opening set. One break for each man led to a tiebreaker in the second, which Nadal won in routine fashion.

“Being here for me is a very positive energy,” Nadal said. “I like being around such a great team and the crowd is amazing…. I feel very lucky [to have won] the first set. I started to play better later in the match and I think I played a very good tiebreak in the end.”

Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas lost the doubles nightcap to Kyrgios and Jack Sock 6-4, 3-6, 10-6. Thus the score is 7-5 Europe, meaning Team World must win three matches on Sunday to lift the cup for the first time in three tries. If Nadal and Tsitsipas had won the doubles, Team World would have to win three matches on Sunday just to tie and force a decisive doubles tiebreaker.

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