Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Taylor Fritz stunned Carlos Alcaraz in their Laver Cup tie at the Chase Centre to mark his first-ever victory over the reigning World No. 1 in his career in four attempts. With that, Team World extended their lead over Team Europe to 7-3. Fritz got to business from the word go and added constant pressure on the Spaniard before clinching the game 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets. Notably, Alcaraz defeated Fritz 6-2, 7-5 in Berlin last year to help Team Europe secure a 13-11 victory.
With Alcaraz entering the game on the back of a 61-6 record this year, the World No. 5 delivered the perfect revenge to give his side the upper hand. The match saw Swiss legend Roger Federer and Golden State Warriors ace Steph Curry mark their presence, with the duo making their way onto the court for the coin toss. Having broken Alcaraz in the fourth game, Fritz capitalised on the lead to establish a one-set lead early on. He converted 66 per cent of his first serves, committing only six unforced errors against the Spaniard’s nine.
During the second set, Fritz secured a break in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Then, two games later, Fritz secured a second break and served out the match. The American won 16 out of 20 net points before closing the game with a forehand volley. “I knew what I had to do. The question was if I was going to be able to do it. The three times I had played Carlos, he had broken me in the first game every time. Getting out of that first game was huge. I just made sure I did not second-guess myself,” Fritz said during an on-court interview after the match.
