Frances Tiafoe proved the pantomime villain for a second time on the Laver Cup after his epic comeback downed Stefanos Tsitsipas and denied Roger Federer one last trophy earlier than retirement.
A 1-6 7-6 (11) 10-8 victory for the US Open semi-finalist within the eleventh match of the Ryder Cup-style group competitors helped Team World style success within the match on the fifth time of asking.
Tiafoe’s exceptional win noticed John McEnroe’s group hit the magic 13-point mark first on a dramatic and thrilling Sunday on the O2 the place they claimed a maiden Laver Cup by a 13-8 scoreline.
It was American Tiafoe who teamed up with Jack Sock on Friday evening to beat Federer and Rafael Nadal in an emotional doubles contest which introduced the curtain down on the Swiss’ glittering profession.
Going into the third and last day of the competitors, Federer nonetheless had hopes of including yet one more title to his illustrious CV with Team Europe main 8-4.
Felix Auger-Aliassime had different concepts for Team World with success over Andy Murray and Matteo Berrettini within the doubles alongside Sock and adopted that up with a good higher show within the second match.
Auger-Aliassime surprised Novak Djokovic 6-3 7-6 (3) to claw Team World again from the brink to being one triumph away from silverware.
It was over to Tiafoe to finish the job however he misplaced the primary set in 21 minutes to a locked-in Tsitsipas. The Greek couldn’t keep his cost although and after a marathon tie-breaker for the second set that lasted so long as the opener, it meant a decider was required.
During the 10-point tie-breaker, Tiafoe held his nerve and produced clutch tennis, one way or the other making a sensational drop shot regardless of beginning behind the baseline and at last getting over the road to assist Team World make historical past.
A surprised Tiafoe mirrored on-court: “Unbelievable, unbelievable feeling. Our captain Jonny Mac was tired of losing. I kept saying all week that this is our year. Guys showed up. Felix beat Novak, Jack and Felix also played unbelievable doubles and it wasn’t just me.
“We all showed up. I just kept going and this is big. We’ll celebrate big tonight. It looks like I have that clutch game right now, I don’t know. I feel like a kid out here, just competing and playing the game I love. I am just happy I get to hold the Laver Cup trophy today, that’s all that mattered.”
McEnroe had made the daring name to play Auger-Aliassime in back-to-back ties initially of Sunday however it paid off handsomely with the world quantity 13 in imperious type.
Murray and Berrettini initially bought off to a flyer of their doubles contest however it was the lightening fast reflexes of Auger-Aliassime on the web which noticed the tide flip and alongside companion Sock they triumphed 2-6 6-3 10-8.
It assured the O2 crowd, and Federer, no less than two extra matches within the London enviornment earlier than the Laver Cup got here to its conclusion.
With Djokovic standing in the best way of Auger-Aliassime, after a 95-minute doubles contest beforehand, it appeared a tall order for the 22-year-old to discover a maiden win over the Wimbledon champion.
An early break for the Serbian added additional weight however the Team World participant was capable of decide up the place he left off towards Murray and Berrettini with a mix of huge serves and distinctive groundstrokes beautiful Djokovic.
Auger-Aliassime’s victory represented his first towards any of the large three and he was understandably delighted. He admitted: “It felt great, for sure. You know, one of my best wins so far in my career. To back it up after the doubles, it was super important.”
Team World vice-captain Patrick McEnroe was happy their late evening dialogue paid off.
“Felix is a strong young man, so we weren’t worried about him playing back-to-back,” McEnroe insisted. “In retrospect we look like geniuses because he played so well to win the doubles and singles, but you have to go out there and get it done.
“We had a great full-team discussion last night about what our options were, At the end, we all agreed that was our best option.”
It set it up for Tiafoe to be the hero and in true showman trend, the American dug deep to save lots of 4 match factors towards Tsitsipas and create historical past for Team World.
Source: www.impartial.co.uk