Tournament debutant Carlos Alcaraz decided the Laver Cup result in the final match to hand Team Europe the trophy in Berlin.
The Spaniard broke American Taylor Fritz at 5-5 in the second set before serving it out and creating ecstatic scenes from the bench with coach Björn Borg, winning the event for the first time since 2021.
The format is designed as the first team to reach 13 points, with three points awarded in each of the four matches played on the final day of action.
Alcaraz becomes the first player in Laver Cup history to win eight out of 13 points, carrying his side on his shoulders.
A doubles tie kicked off proceedings when Alcaraz and Casper Ruud teamed up for an upset 6-2, 7-6(6) win against Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, narrowing the margin after trailing 8-4 coming into day 3.
Shelton's three-set victory over Daniil Medvedev allowed American compatriot Tiafoe the chance to clinch Team World's third consecutive Laver Cup title, but world No.2 Alexander Zverev had other ideas as he sealed a 6-7(5), 7-5-10-5 win, leading to Alcaraz completing the job.
“It’s great. We came here with a goal, to win the Laver Cup,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview. “We are very, very happy about reaching our goal. We almost lost, but Sascha [Zverev] came with really good tennis and gave me the chance to win.”
Borg, captain of Team Europe, has now won four Laver Cup crowns from the bench.
“It’s always tough to play Team World at Laver Cup,” said the 11-time major winner. “You’ve seen good tennis this week and I thought that we weren’t going to win it, but the guys played great tennis and we came through. For me to spend time with these players in Team Europe, it’s a lot of fun. We have a good team spirit and we gave everything. I’m very proud of my team.”
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