Laver Cup, Day 3 preview: Can Team World clinch a three-peat behind Fritz, Tiafoe and Shelton?

Team World enters the final day up 8-4—a seemingly insurmountable lead in a race to 13, right? Wrong, and World’s players know that as well as anyone. Most of them were part of the team that came back from the same deficit on the final day in 2022 to win 13-8. Laver Cup’s scoring system, which awards three points for each victory on the Sunday, makes just about any comeback plausible. That’s especially true for a European team led by three of the world’s Top 5, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.

Here’s a look ahead at Sunday’s matchups. Can World make it three Cups in a row, or will Europe grab it back from them at the 11th hour?

Carlos Alcaraz/Casper Ruud vs. Ben Shelton/Frances Tiafoe

Team World will lean heavily on its two showmen, Shelton and Tiafoe, on Sunday. For good reason: Shelton is 2-0 in doubles so far, while Tiafoe is coming off his first win over Daniil Medvedev in six tries on Saturday. Big Foe even said he felt a little like Roger Federer himself during that match.

Alcaraz and Ruud are a somewhat chancier pair at the moment. Ruud is 0-2 this weekend, and has looked subpar in straight-set losses in singles and doubles. While Alcaraz did record a singles win over Shelton yesterday, he lost to Shelton and Fritz in doubles on the opening day.

Much will be riding on this match. If Europe wins, they’ll be right back in it at 8-7; if they lose, they’ll be teetering on the brink, down 11-4. As has been the case for most of the weekend, Europe has the higher ranked stars, and, in Alcaraz, the best all-around player. But World has the biggest server in Shelton, and maybe the most in-form performer of the moment in Tiafoe. Winner: Shelton/Tiafoe

Daniil Medvedev vs. Ben Shelton

Here’s a brand-new matchup: Medvedev and Shelton have never faced each other. How might things shake out between these two contrasting players and personalities?

On paper, Medvedev looks like a difficult opponent for Shelton. By standing back for his return, Medvedev may be able to blunt, or at least neutralize, the American’s biggest weapon: his serve. The Russian should also have the advantage once the rallies start. He can make Shelton play a lot of balls on this slow court, put a lot of balls into his backhand side, and potentially leave him without an avenue of attack. When Shelton played Alcaraz on Saturday, many of the rallies were extended, but most ended with a Shelton miss.

I thought Medvedev would beat Tiafoe on Saturday, but he couldn’t hold off his multi-pronged attack in the second set or the match tiebreak. It’s possible that Shelton could begin to push Medvedev around as well, but (a) I don’t think he has the repertoire to make it work the way his countryman did, and (b) this will be Shelton’s fifth match of the weekend, and Medvedev’s second. Even a 21-year-old has to get gassed sometime, right? Winner: Medvedev

Alexander Zverev vs. Frances Tiafoe

If World wins the first two matches on Sunday, the Cup will be theirs. If the two teams split those matches, the score will be 11-7 World, and Tiafoe could clinch with a win here. If Europe goes 2-0 to start the day, the score will be 10-8 Europe, and Zverev could clinch here.

It’s also possible that we’ll see a substitute for Zverev. The German has been sick, and looked exhausted after long points in his loss to Fritz on Saturday.

Why is he in the lineup at all? His 7-1 record against Tiafoe might have something to do with it. After going 0-2 the first two days, Zverev also might want to avoid a winless weekend in his hometown.

In his current condition, though, a win might be hard to come by. Tiafoe was 0-5 against Medvedev when they met on Saturday, and we know how that turned out. Winner: Tiafoe

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Taylor Fritz

Any neutral fans out there will be hoping that the Cup comes down to this final Sunday matchup—Europe’s best versus World’s best. The fact that they’ve only played once, back in the spring of 2023, will make it all the more intriguing.

Alcaraz beat Fritz in Miami in 2023 in routine fashion, 6-4, 6-2. A lot had happened since then, and both of these guys are much improved. Alcaraz has won three majors, while Fritz just reached his first Grand Slam final.

The Spaniard will be the favorite. He should like the slower surface more than Fritz. He usually—not always, but usually—finds his best tennis in crunch-time moments like this. Most important, he’s the stronger, faster, more complete player.

But there are caveats. This would be Fritz’s first match of the day, while Alcaraz will have already played a doubles match. And Fritz has evolved into a player who isn’t easily rattled or disrupted, against any opponent or on any stage. If Alcaraz goes off the boil, as he often does, Fritz is someone who has the shots and the belief to take advantage of it. Winner: Alcaraz