LONDON — One more match win. That’s all Team Europe needs to reclaim the Laver Cup after Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli delivered a dominant doubles victory Sunday morning at the O2 Arena.
The European pairing dispatched Team World’s Taylor Fritz and Alex De Minaur 7-5, 6-3, pushing the overall score to 10-5. With final-day matches worth three points each, Europe now sits one victory away from the 13-point threshold required for the title.
Alexander Zverev gets the first crack at sealing it. He faces Learner Tien in the next singles match, with two additional matches in reserve if needed.
Team World actually started stronger. De Minaur, fresh off Saturday’s win over Zverev, helped secure an early break in the opening set. Fritz controlled the net with aggressive volleys, and Cobolli struggled to handle the pace.
But the momentum shifted midway through the first set. Mensik’s 6-foot-5 frame proved disruptive at the net, frustrating Team World’s passing attempts. Europe leveled at 4-4, then forced multiple set points. On the third opportunity, Mensik ripped a backhand return down the line to close it 7-5.
The second set belonged entirely to the Europeans. A forehand winner from Mensik down the middle sealed the decisive break for a 3-1 lead. Fritz and De Minaur exchanged bewildered looks. Team World captain Andre Agassi grimaced from his bench seat, watching the deficit grow.
A heavily pro-Europe London crowd fueled the finish. Mensik and Cobolli held their nerve through the closing games, converting the win without drama.
The Laver Cup, modeled after golf’s Ryder Cup, pits six top European players against six from the rest of the world across three days. Europe has won five of the first eight editions. A victory Sunday would extend that dominance and erase memories of Team World’s back-to-back triumphs in 2022 and 2023.
