Zverev Clinches Laver Cup for Team Europe With 13-5 Win Over Team World
Team Europe have reclaimed the Laver Cup, beating Team World 13-5 at the O2 Arena in London after Alexander Zverev sealed the win with a straight-sets victory over Learner Tien.
The German won 7-6 (3), 6-3 to take Europe past the winning line, ending a run that had seen Team World take the trophy in San Francisco last year.
Sunday Settles It
Flavio Cobolli and Jakub Mensik opened the final day with a doubles win over Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz, moving Europe within touching distance before Zverev completed the job.
The result gave captain Yannick Noah his first Laver Cup title and Team Europe a sixth win in the tournament's nine editions.
For Zverev it was a reversal of last year, when his defeat to Fritz on the final Sunday in San Francisco handed Team World their third title.
Closer Than the Score Suggests
The final margin flattered the winners. Team World led narrowly by the middle of Saturday, six matches in, before Europe won two matches that day and two more on Sunday.
De Minaur was central to the early resistance, coming from behind to beat Zverev in one of the matches of the weekend. Carlos Alcaraz then avenged his 2025 loss to Fritz on the same day.
"We are pretty close," de Minaur said afterwards. "When you look at yesterday, we won two supers and lost one with Taylor playing an epic match. We were very close. A couple points here and there could have changed the whole tie."
Team World captain Andre Agassi defended his players. "You're watching these guys die out there," he said. "You make your bets on your team, you hope they give it everything they've got, you believe in them."
Several matches went to tie-breaks, and players and captains on both sides agreed the scoreline did not reflect how tight the competition had been.
A Reshaped Field
Both teams arrived at the O2 with late changes. Tommy Paul withdrew through injury on 12 September and was replaced by Francisco Cerundolo, while Ben Shelton pulled out five days later, with Brandon Nakashima called up in his place.
Shelton's absence came shortly after his run to the US Open final, where he lost to Zverev in four sets.
Rafael Jodar made his Laver Cup debut for Team Europe, with Casper Ruud completing the line-up. Alcaraz and Fritz had been the first players confirmed for their respective sides back in November.
It was the first time since 2022 the event had been staged in London. Team Europe had gone into the weekend with a 5-3 overall lead in the series and now extend that to 6-3.
The format gives matches on the final day three points each, which is what allowed Europe to move clear so quickly on Sunday having been under pressure for much of Saturday. Every match is worth one point on the opening day, two on the second and three on the third.
The event now heads into its tenth edition next year.
