The Laver Cup final in Vancouver saw Team World repeat as champions with a 13-2 victory over Team Europe.
The American doubles team of Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe prevailed 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5), over the Polish duo of Hubert Hurkacz and Andrey Rublev.
The World Team was already assured of the championship if they could just win the doubles match.
The single point for Europe came on Saturday when Norwegian Casper Ruud defeated American Tommy Paul.
Team World had a perfect record after day one, winning all four matches, and they carried a 10-2 lead into day two, with victories from Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe and Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Ryan Shelton in doubles. The winning team would be the first to reach 13 points.
John McEnroe, captain of Team World, remarked, “We stepped up and I thought all the guys played great.”
This year means a lot to us. Even if I anticipate a powerful response from them, I’ll take two wins in a row any day. And now I’m wondering, “Could there be a third in a row?”
Shelton, 20, eliminated Tiafoe, a compatriot and quarterfinal opponent, in the US Open earlier this month. Shelton advanced to the semifinals and moved up to 19th in the world rankings.
Being a part of that event for the first time the previous year was a really moving experience for me. When you add Ben to the mix, it’s a blast,” Tiafoe added.
“It’s been crazy for me,” Shelton remarked. Being part of a team was fun; they were supportive throughout the competition, and I hope I was, too.
Before last year’s tournament in London, which marked the conclusion of Roger Federer’s career, Team Europe had won the previous four iterations of the championship.
