Five best players at the 2019 Laver Cup

Modified Sep 24, 2019 09:38 GMT

Team Europe rejoice after sealing their third Laver Cup title in Geneva

#3 Sascha Zverev (Team Europe)

Sascha Zverev rejoices after sealing Europe's third Laver Cup win in Geneva

Sascha Zverev teamed with Roger Federer to face Team World's Jack Sock and Denis Shapovalov in the first doubles tie of the 2019 Laver Cup.

Federer and Zverev were quick off the block as they took the opening set. In a tight second set, the duo survived set points before sealing a 6-4, 7-5 win in the longest doubles match at the Laver Cup. It was their first win in the competition (Team Europe's second win in seven doubles matches at the Laver Cup) following a loss to Sock and Nick Kyrgios in a match tiebreak in 2018.

Zverev(left) and Federer after their win over Sock and Shapovalov

On the second day, Sascha Zverev faced John Isner. He edged a tight first set on a tiebreak but Isner fought back to force a match tiebreak. Zverev won just one point as the young German's perfect singles record in the competition came to an end.

On the third day, Jack Sock and John Isner beat Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitsipas to give Team World the lead for the first time in the tie. Taylor Fritz's win over Dominc Thiem swelled Team World's lead to 11-7. Federer beat John Isner in the next match to keep Team Europe's hopes alive as it came down to the duo of Zverev and Milos Raonic to decide the destination of the 2019 Laver Cup.

The young German rode on the momentum of Federer's win to take the opening set 6-4 but Raonic regrouped in the second set to force a match tiebreak. Pumped up by Federer and Rafael Nadal's encouraging pep-talk about 'turning his season around', Zverev dropped just four points in the match tiebreak to seal Team Europe's third title. It was also the second time in as many years that Zverev's win sealed Team Europe's Laver Cup triumph.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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