Alexander Zverev clinches Laver Cup for Team Europe with win over Learner Tien
Alexander Zverev clinched the Laver Cup for Team Europe with a straight-sets victory over Learner Tien on the final day of competition at the O2 Arena on September 27, 2026, as Europe defeated Team World 13-5.
Team Europe began the Sunday with a narrow 7-5 lead and, with each match worth three points on the final day, needed two victories from the four remaining matches to secure the trophy. Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli opened the day with a 7-5, 6-3 doubles win against Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz, setting the tone for Europe’s closing run. Europe converted the required wins efficiently to reclaim the title on the weekend.
Alexander Zverev, the recent French and US Open champion, closed out the series by beating Learner Tien 7-6 (3), 6-3 to seal the overall victory for Team Europe. His singles triumph came after Europe had already taken the initiative earlier in the day through their doubles success. The 7-6 (3), 6-3 scoreline completed the campaign that produced the 13-5 final result.
The report noted the disparity in rankings between the sides, listing Zverev at No 2, Carlos Alcaraz at No 3 and Flavio Cobolli at No 7, all positioned above Team World’s highest-ranked players, Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz. It also cited continental dominance in majors, saying Europe had won the past 67 men’s grand slam titles. The last non-European winner of a men’s grand slam named in the piece was Argentina’s Juan Martín del Potro at the 2009 US Open.
The event returned to London four years after Roger Federer retired there and drew packed crowds across the weekend, the report said, even though the extremely slow courts did not always make for quality tennis. Interactions between Team World captain Andre Agassi and his players provided entertainment throughout the event. Agassi closed off his second term with a roast of Zverev during the trophy ceremony: “Congratulations Sascha, crazy year, seeing you win for the first time, I know how important that was for you. “It was important to me because I could start listening to your press conferences again. You weren’t like, ‘[mimicking crying] why do I always lose? I’m third best in the world, I suck. But then you win and it’s like: ‘I’m only one slam champion and I gotta do it again.’”
Saturday contained what the account described as the defining moment of the tournament: a few hours after Zverev lost his first singles match against De Minaur from match point up, Alcaraz faced two match points against Fritz deep in their final-set tiebreak. At 10-11 he responded with a successful drop shot and lob combination, played a nuclear forehand and then another winning drop shot to take the last three points and the match. The O2 Arena crowd erupted in response to Alcaraz’s sequence.
The piece linked the Laver Cup’s appeal to the star power of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic and said that, among the newer generation, “Alcaraz is the only player on the ATP who generates this kind of fervour and attention. He clearly enjoys this event and will surely look to compete in future editions of the Laver Cup.”