Prague: Roger Federer won the inaugural Laver Cup for Team Europe here Sunday, beating back a fierce challenge from players from the Rest of the World to claim the trophy in a dramatic final match of the weekend.
Federer delivered in a tight 4-6, 7-6(8-6), 11-9 win over World No.20 Nick Kyrgios, with the Australian pushing to the final point as he sought a win that would have forced an overtime doubles match to decide the tournament.
But Kyrgios squandered a chance at match point and then smashed the ball into the net to end the battle, spurring Federer’s European teammates, led by top-ranked Rafael Nadal, to leap off the bench and embrace the Swiss at the net.
“I was ready to go. I had to be. That is what a team member does. The boys played fantastic all weekend but we knew it could change very quickly Sunday,” Federer said. “I was looking at getting ready maybe for doubles at the end… But I got it done.”
An earlier victory from big-hitting German Alexander Zverev also helped fight off the last-day comeback from Team World, which entered the day 3-9 down after dropping six of the first eight matches.
With matches worth three points, Sunday – versus two Saturday and one Friday – the group battled back with Americans John Isner and Jack Sock downing Croatian Marin Cilic and Czech Tomas Berdych, who was playing in front of the hometown crowd at Prague’s O2 Arena. The American duo won 7-6(7-5), 7-6(8-6). That narrowed the gap down to 6-9.
Zverev, the youngest player in the top 10 at age 20, then faced Team World’s highest-ranked player at No.16, Sam Querrey. He broke the American’s serve midway through the first set and never looked back en route to a 6-4, 6-4 win. The gap had agained widened for Europe to 12-6.
That left Nadal to face Isner, winless in six career meetings with the Spaniard. But the World No.17 rattled Nadal from the beginning and delivered a barrage of 23 aces and several forceful winners and drop shots to win 7-5, 7-6(7-4) .
The victory opened up the tie for Kyrgios. However, Federer then played hero, battling back after dropping the first set to Kyrgios who had looked to keep Isner’s giant-killing momentum going.
Kyrgios denial
Prague: Controversial Australian star Nick Kyrgios denied that his kneeling down gesture before his Laver Cup clash against Roger Federer was part of similar protests against US President Donald Trump. A picture of the 22-year-old kneeling just before the start of the warm-up in Prague went viral on Twitter with many on social media assuming it was in support of American football players protesting racial inequality. “I’m doing that before most matches just to remember my grandmother and grandfather who passed away recently,” he said.
reuters