Team World trails Laver Cup defending champion Team Europe 7-5 going into the final day of the 2018 competition and must win three of four remaining matches…but the home side will take it. After all, things could be much worse. Captain John McEnroe’s squad fell behind 7-1 after Roger Federer beat Nick Kyrgios on Saturday evening, but World took the last two contests (Kevin Anderson in singles plus Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock in doubles) to get back within striking distance.
Friday results
Grigor Dimitrov (Europe) d. Frances Tiafoe (World) 6-1, 6-4
Kyle Edmund (Europe) d. Jack Sock (World) 6-4, 5-7, 10-6
David Goffin (Europe) d. Diego Schwartzman (World) 6-4, 4-6, 11-9
Kevin Anderson and Jack Sock (World) d. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic (Europe) 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-6
Saturday results
Alexander Zverev (Europe) d. John Isner (World) 3-6, 7-6(6), 10-7
Roger Federer (Europe) d. Nick Kyrgios (World) 6-3, 6-2
Kevin Anderson (World) d. Novak Djokovic (Europe) 7-6(5), 5-7, 10-6
Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock (World) d. Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin (Europe) 6-3, 6-4
Sunday
Roger Federer and Alexander Alexander Zverev (Europe) vs. John Isner and Jack Sock (World)
As expected, captain McEnroe has made the smart move to put Sock in every singles doubles match this weekend. Make no mistake about it: Sock is quite simply the best doubles player on the planet. He is 2-0 in doubles so far in Chicago and he is now teaming up with arguably the best server in tennis history. Of course, they have to go up against Federer (and Zverev), so it won’t be easy.
Roger Federer (Europe) vs. John Isner (World)
Isner appeared to be on his way to beating Zverev in Saturday’s first singles match, but the German mounted a comeback and beat the 6’10” American in a super-tiebreaker. Federer, who crushed Kyrgios on Day 2, leads this head-to-head series 5-2. They have not faced each other since 2015.
Alexander Zverev (Europe) vs. Kevin Anderson (World)
Zverev has won all four of their previous meetings, but of the three singles matches on Sunday this Team World’s best chance. Anderson has been red hot in 2018 and he is 2-0 at the Laver Cup, with a doubles win over Federer and Djokovic plus a Saturday singles upset of the reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion.
Novak Djokovic (Europe) vs. Nick Kyrgios (World)
Kyrgios played in the finale last year and lost an epic against Federer. Will his team still be in contention going into the fourth and final rubber, thus giving him a shot to make amends? If so, it will be an incredibly fun one–and surely dramatic. Both players are coming off singles setbacks on Saturday, so that will only add to the motivation.
TW wins the doubles and Kando d the Young Hairdo
Roger d Isner (has he ever lost to him?) and Djoker d Kyrgios (Djoker IS a slightly better player and may well be embarrassed about his lack of performance so far)
Isner has beaten Fed, 2 x actually but won’t beat him today. Maybe.
I don’t know if anyone else on here, particularly Americans, have thought about this, but….. I’m getting a kick out of seeing a HARDCORE Trump supporter having to play for Team WORLD! 😂😂 Donald Trump is a 100% Isolationist- ANTI-World, ‘Merica-Only. I just can’t help but find it ironic that a guy who is clearly so anti-Globalism has to play for Team “World”….
That being said, I am not surprised to see Isner playing really well in the Laver Cup. He’s playing in ‘Merica. He’s got his buddies cheering him on on the sideline. I felt like Isner would probably win this match vs. Fed. At the moment, it looks like that could likely have been a good assumption!
Another note- Fed has struggled much of this season mentally and physically, and it’s often manifested in blowing big moments. Although Fed has the pressure of actually creating the event and they all clearly take it very seriously, but you would think that he might not feel the mental pressure as much in Laver Cup compared to your events. But apparently he’s still struggling a little in big moments even at Laver Cup, as he was up 4-1 in that tiebreak. But Isner also just played really well after that.
Damn, Isner is playing really well. Including last year, I think I can honestly say that Isner plays the best tennis of his career at Laver Cup! 😆
This Fed-Isner match has been the weirdest mix of clutchness AND choking, by both Fed and Isner. Isner has match point on his serve in the 2nd set tiebreak and lost the breaker to Fed. Fed was up 4-1 in the first set tiebreak and lost, and now Fed was up 5-2 in the deciding breaker and choked that away.
Maybe Isner will convince The Donald that having allies is a GOOD THING!
Anderson is one person you can’t rely on in crucial moments! He’s leading in the crucial TB yet managed to lose it in the end! It’s a winnable match and a winnable Cup for Team World, both Isner and Anderson let Sasha off and lost it for the team.
That was honestly the most anticlimactic finish to the Laver Cup. Anderson just sucked for the four points and lost so suddenly. Two straight second serve returns long to end it like WTF 😂 #FedWasMoneyTho #Clutch
This year’s LC not that exciting, I think last year both teams looked more involved, perhaps that’s the inaugural year for LC. Team World last year was full of young guns like Shapo, Kyrgios, Kokkinakis and they’re celebrating in their youthful and funny ways. Team Europe with Fedal around as the ‘coaches’ in the team and Rafa as a great cheerleader, made everyone in the team became so involved and so pumped up.
Fed is not playing that well this year, wins two singles but lost the two doubles; Djoko hasn’t won any match in singles and doubles!
Overall, not much excitement; would’ve loved to see it go the distance with Anderson winning against Sasha so that Djoko and Kyrgios match gets to decide which team wins the Cup (not unlike Fed/Kyrgios last year; but last year they even had the possibility of a doubles TB to decide it all ).
Hey Rafans- did any of you happen to catch the Rafa-fist-pump that Fed did when he won the 2nd set tiebreak?? I like to think that it was a nod to Rafa, like “you might not be here in person, Rafa, but we can feel you here in spirit!” 😊 Not gonna lie… It would have been SO much sweeter had Rafa been there to run out into the court again. Maybe I’m biased because I so loved watching Fedal on the same team last year, but the whole thing this year really didn’t feel the same without Rafa…
I must say, however, that even though I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as last year, this year was definitely helped by how competitive nearly all the matches were. So many close matches that could have gone either way. There is no denying that those dudes really relish the opportunity to play tennis in a team context, and they desperately want to win their matches.
It definitely doesn’t have the feel of other exhibitions… As far as exhibitions go, it definitely feels more like the Olympics than it does, say, Match for Africa.
Laver Cup is an exhibition. It’s a pretty nice exho – lots of bells and whistles – but in the end that’s all it is.
Here’s an interesting post asking relevant questions on the domination of the BIG THREE … http://www.138mph.com/federer-nadal-and-djokovic-the-tyranny-of-the-big-three/.