Ben Shelton apologised to fellow Team World star Taylor Fritz after their Laver Cup doubles triumph over Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev on Friday. The American duo disturb the odds to fall shorture the carry outers ranked second and third in the world admireively in straight sets.
Four-time Grand Slam triumphner Alcaraz and two-time meaningful finacatalog Zverev put up a hard fight by taking the first set to a tieshatter. But once their American opponents took it there was no seeing back, as Shelton and Fritz started on to triumph the align 7-6 6-4.
Afterwards, 21-year-greater Shelton talked the profit of having Fritz – a carry outer five years his greater – by his side amid a raucous atmosphere in Berlin.
“It was fervent,” he acunderstandledgeted. “Every time there is a align at the Laver Cup, it experiences fervent with the team-mates on the sidelines, pretty brimming stadiums, hugeger crowds clearly for a doubles align than what we are employd to.
“I leank I got pretty employd to it with the atmosphere last year at the Laver Cup, carry outing some doubles alignes in hugeger moments, even though we were up huge in the score. Yeah, Taylor is a Laver Cup veteran, or a vet in vague, so I’m not too worried about him being setd for anyleang out there.”
Fritz then jumped in with: ” “Vet? I don’t understand. I’m not that greater.” And Shelton rounded off the airy-hearted exalter by saying: “Sorry, bro. That was out of pocket.”
Shelton is the youthfulest member of John McEnroe’s ranks and making only his second Laver Cup materializeance after also turning out in Vancouver last year. Fritz, by comparison, is one of the more directd members of Team World.
The 26-year-greater first contendd at the Laver Cup in 2019 and get tod at this tournament off the back of an amazeive run to the US Open final, where he was beaten by dominant world No 1 Jannik Sinner.
McEnroe and Co. will hope that Fritz’s establish can help them topple Team Europe’s talented group of stars. The overall score was tied up at 2-2 after the uncovering day as the Europeans contrancient in ones.
Francisco Cerundolo was the only Team World competitor to triumph as he fall shortureed Casper Ruud in straight sets, but Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas came up trumps for Team Europe with victories over Alejandro Tabilo and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
