Team World is on the brink of a third Laver Cup victory after a brilliant Saturday sweep.
Alex de Minaur, Francisco Cerundolo provided victories in the day session, and Taylor Fritz shocked Carlos Alcaraz to give Team World a 7-3 lead.
De Minaur and Alex Michelsen put the icing on the cake with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Casper Ruud and Holger Rune in the Saturday nightcap, stretching the lead to 9-3.
It was the most successful day in Team World history, and the players have rallied around their captain Andre Agassi, who has been an inspirational figure on the bench, throwing chest bumps to his players and bringing high octane theatrics.
“He’s bringing some serious energy and we love it,” De Minaur said of Agassi.
Agassi, eight-time major champion, had had lots to smile about in his first year as captain.
“This is the easiest day I’ve ever had in my life,” he said, adding: “We still have one more day, we have to run it across the finish line.”
Team World takes a lead into Sunday for the third time in the eight-year history of Laver Cup. They also did so in Vancouver in 2023, and came away victorious. Last year they blew an 8-4 lead to Team Europe in Berlin.
They need to win two of four matches on Sunday to avoid a final overtime doubles match (all matches are worth three points on Sunday, meaning that Team Europe can force a 12-12 tie by winning three of four). If Team World does come away with the win, it might be Fritz’s incredible performance against No.1-ranked Alcaraz that will have put them over the top.
“It’s not like he did it on a lightning-fast court,” Agassi said of Fritz’s 6-3, 6-2 win. “He had conviction, he knew exactly what he wanted to do… I’m so proud of Fritzy and I hope he realizes what he’s capable of.”
