If the Laver Cup is still up for grabs heading into the last two matches, Europe’s comeback effort will be in the hands of Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. They will go up against Francisco Cerundolo and Taylor Fritz, respectively.
Carlos Alcaraz (EUR) vs. Francisco Cerundolo (WOR)
Alcaraz will be looking to bounce back from an alarming 6-3, 6-2 loss to Taylor Fritz when the Spaniard returns to the court for Laver Cup Day 3 competition in San Francisco. Saturday’s result was part of a four-match sweep for Team World, which now leads Team Europe 9-3 heading into Sunday. Alcaraz at least managed to put one of his squad’s points on the board, prevailing in doubles with Jakub Mensik on Friday night.
Sunday afternoon marks the fifth encounter between Alcaraz and Cerundolo, with the head-to-head series standing at 3-1 in the world No. 1’s favor. Cerundolo prevailed at a 2019 Futures event, but Alcaraz has since reeled off three successive victories on the main tour. They most recently faced each other this spring in Monte-Carlo, where the six-time Grand Slam champion dropped a set but then dominated the rest of the way en route to a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 success. Alcaraz may be suffering from a natural letdown following his U.S. Open triumph, but he surely has too much pride to turn in another clunker like did on Saturday.
Pick: Alcaraz in 2
Alexander Zverev (EUR) vs. Taylor Fritz (WOR)
Zverev and Fritz will be squaring off for the 14th time in their careers on Sunday. Fritz leads the head-to-head series 8-5, but that hardly tells the more recent story of their rivalry. The fifth-ranked American has won five straight meetings and eight of their last 11. They most recently squared off this summer on the grass courts of Stuttgart, where Fritz lifted the trophy following a 6-3, 7-6(0) victory.
Nothing suggests that Zverev is poised to turn the tide. The third-ranked German lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime in round three of the U.S. Open and fell to Alex de Minaur 6-1, 6-4 at the Laver Cup on Saturday. Fritz, on the other hand, reached the quarterfinals in New York and continued his fine form with yesterday’s upset of Alcaraz. Count on the American maintaining his recent mastery of this matchup.
Pick: Fritz in 2
WWW?
Zverev in 3