SEPT 25 - 27, 2026 | LONDON
A year after Taylor Fritz humbled him at Laver Cup San Francisco, a pivotal result that helped push Team World over the top, Carlos Alcaraz got his revenge. And he did so in dramatic fashion, saving two match points in the process. On Saturday night at The O2 in London, the 23-year-old Spaniard downed the American Fritz in an instant classic, 6-3, 4-6, 13-11, leveling the Day 2 proceedings at 5-5.
It was the fifth of six singles matches over Days 1-2 to be decided in a 10-point Laver Breaker.
“I was thinking a little bit about last year,” said Alcaraz. “I was trying not to let it happen again. I was kind of nervous in the beginning, I’m not going to lie, but I’m really happy I took it in the end.”
Even in the tightest moments, Alcaraz seemed to wear a smile on his face.
“Every time I smile, it feels like I’m having fun and I’m relaxed,” he said. “When that time comes, it’s when I play my best tennis. It’s important to accept the moment, even if it’s break point down or 6-all in the tiebreak. You have to accept those moments.”
Nerves aside, the Spaniard didn’t waste any time sinking his teeth into the contest. Facing one of the tour’s biggest servers, Alcaraz opened the match with a break when he sent a picture-perfect lob beyond Fritz’s reach. With his 28-year-old foe serving to stay in first set at 3-5, 15-40, Alcaraz would capitalize on a backhand approach pass.
Alcaraz dug himself a 0-40 hole at 1-all in the second, and Fritz pounced on the opportunity. The Californian would later serve it out at 5-4, forcing yet another 10-point tiebreak.
Back on tour after a five-month layoff due to a serious wrist injury, the seven-time Slam champ Alcaraz raced ahead 5-1, flashing his drop-shot prowess and all-court speed. But Fritz held his ground and would set up a pair of match-point opportunities at 10-9 and 11-10, only to have them erased. Then, on his third match point at 12-11, Alcaraz sealed the one-hour, 50-minute thriller with, fittingly, another drop shot.
“I really had a sense of it, so in those really close, important moments, I tried to use it because it was a really good weapon for me,” said Alcaraz. “I’ve been practicing the drop shot since I was a little kid. It’s part of my game.”
“I can’t really ask more of myself from the back to hang with him,” said Fritz. “I just needed to maybe serve a little bit better, get some more free points on the serve.”
Appearing in his third consecutive Laver Cup, Alcaraz now owns a 19-1 combined record against Team World players, that lone loss coming against Fritz.
“I wasn’t surprised about Taylor’s level,” said Alcaraz. “I think both of us played great tennis. The speed of the ball, the intensity, the way we hit the ball in every aspect, I think it was really, really high. I’m just happy to be able to play these kinds of matches to see what I have to improve.”
