Top contenders fight for vital points on Saturday

The quality of the Laver Cup field comes into focus on day two, with a singles lineup packed with players from the world’s top ten.

With the contest poised at 2-2 after Friday’s matches and today’s matches worth two points, all six singles players in action on Saturday are ranked in the top 17.  It guarantees tennis of the highest quality.

Match 1: Daniil Medvedev v Frances Tiafoe
Tiafoe has been Team World’s talisman in the Laver Cup. Who could forget his emotional win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the penultimate match of the 2022 competition in London, when he saved four match points before sealing Team World’s first-ever Laver Cup title?

The bad news for No.16-ranked Tiafoe is that he has never beaten world No.5 Medvedev, in five previous matches; in fact he has only taken one set off the Muscovite, and that was pre-pandemic. The good news for Tiafoe is that they have never played indoors, nor in a team competition, so the American can view the slate as clean.

But Medvedev has been a model of consistency this year; he was runner-up at the Australian Open, a semifinalist at Wimbledon, quarterfinalist at the US Open and has gone far in just about every tournament he has played. That will make him a slight favorite in many people’s eyes to give Europe an early lead, but betting against Tiafoe in the Laver Cup is always perilous.

Match 2: Carlos Alcaraz v Ben Shelton
Perhaps the most eagerly awaited match, one that many consider could be a major final before long. Alcaraz already has four Grand Slam singles titles, while Shelton’s powerful left-handed game has many thinking he is a major champion of the future.
The two have played just once before; that was in Toronto 13 months ago when Alcaraz won in two tight sets. If Alcaraz can tap into the form that saw him win Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, and claim silver at the Olympics, it will be hard for Shelton to win. But Shelton has a great team pedigree from his time with the Florida Gators US college team, and revels in the big occasion.

Match 3: Alexander Zverev v Taylor Fritz
This is highly anticipated match pits the world No.2 against the No.7, with both players in the top five in the race to the ATP Finals. Both are in great form after terrific runs at the US Open, where they played each other in the quarterfinals, Fritz winning in four sets having also beaten his German rival at Wimbledon in the fourth round.

Fritz says his US Open was most satisfying because he felt he never played his best tennis yet still reached his first major final. After a break, and a victorious doubles partnering Ben Shelton on Friday night, the 26-year-old could be ready to step up a level. That will make it tough for Zverev, but he has home advantage.

This will be their 11th meeting in a head-to-head that goes back more than eight years. They are level at 5-5, having played in the last two majors, and on all surfaces this year. But they have never played indoors, so this will be a first and could well go down to the wire.

Match 4: Casper Ruud/Stefanos Tsitsipas v Ben SheltonAlejandro Tabilo
Any match involving Ben Shelton has electricity, and the 21-year-old American will be the livewire in this fascinating doubles. Shelton forms a scratch all-leftie pairing with Alejandro Tabilo, the Chilean raised in Canada who played his part in a superb match against Grigor Dimitrov on Friday night, narrowly losing on two tiebreaks. This may be the perfect pick-me-up for Tabilo, who needs a win after a run of what he describes as “rough matches”. Tabilo won his first doubles title this season at Santiago with Barrios Vera, and was runner-up at Mallorca with Diego Hildago, having won the singles title in the same week on grass.

Ruud and Tsitsipas should not be underestimated. Tsitsipas won his first ATP doubles title just under a year ago, partnering with his brother Petros to victory in Antwerp in what he described as “one of the most emotional achievements of my tennis career” given it was a family triumph. Ruud is not known for his doubles results, but his serve is underestimated and his volleys are solid, so while the fireworks will probably come from the Team World side, it looks a very open match.