UK: 18+ USA: 21+ | Begambleaware.org | T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly
Another successful night for Team World, who, although losing their opening match in this year’s Laver Cup 2023, are only one match away from capturing their second title. Last year, Team Europe had a large lead going into the third day but were startled by a strong comeback by their opponents. Can Team Europe do the same, or will they be without the trophy for another year?
Laver Cup day 2 results
Contents
Team World has won seven of eight matches so far, but the crown is not yet certain. The possibility of Team Europe becoming winners is dependent on a perfect night in which they win the last four duels.
Match 5 – Taylor Fritz beat Andrey Rublev 6-2 7-6
The American tennis player made an aggressive start to the match. In the first set, he promptly converted two break points and handled each of his serves to grab the lead. Fritz attacked the net often in this first set, which was quite effective. Everything was more even in the second set, as both players converted a break point. Taylor’s net attacks were more intense, but this time Andrey used an identical strategy, which also succeeded for him. It all came down to a tiebreak, in which Fritz emerged victorious.
Match 6 – Casper Ruud beat Tommy Paul 7-6 6-2
Following a 6-0 victory for Team World, the pressure has risen even more on the European team, as their options have become increasingly limited. Casper Ruud, Team Europe’s only player in the top 10, along with Andrey Rublev, has become the team’s hope.
However, things did not start well for the Norwegian, as Tommy Paul maintained his speed in the first set. Because each player had a break point, Ruud needed to win in a tiebreak to take the lead. In the second set, the Norwegian player shifted strategy and prevented the American player’s continuous attacks to the net in the early section. Ruud converted a couple of break points and was quite effective with his serves this time.
Match 7 – Frances Tiafoe beat Hubert Hurkacz 7-5 6-3
The European squad was encouraged after Ruud’s victory and continued in pursuit of further points. Hubert Hurkacz, one of the squad’s most experienced players, was the next blue team representative.
Frances Tiafoe was on the other side of the court, and despite the European team’s momentum, he played a terrific match against his Polish opponent. After a little more than an hour, the American player added two more points to Team World’s total. Hurkacz was unable to break his opponent’s serve once, while Tiafoe did it three times.
March 8 – Auger-Aliassime/Shelton beat Hurkacz/Monfils 5-7 4-6
Team Europe went with an experienced pair, while Team World decided to send two of their youngest players to compete for the last two points of day 2. Both pairs lacked coordination, but the Blue team was more notable for the physical condition of its members.
Shelton and Auger-Aliassime countered their lack of teamwork with pace and speed. I can then reflect on the number of points earned by each pair. Team Europe scored 28 points while Team Wolrd 37.
Laver Cup Odds
This Sunday, 24 September, the final matches of the Laver Cup 2023 will be played. What will it take for one of the two teams to become champions?
- So far, Team World has accumulated 10 points. Each victory on day three delivers three points to the winner of each duel, therefore the red team only needs one victory to seal the championship.
- Casper Ruud leads Team Europe with two points. To win the Laver Cup, the blue side must score 13 points, and the only way for them to do it is to win all four duels on Sunday.
- There is no possibility of a tie.
Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!
