De Minaur rallies past Zverev, World leads 5-3

Alex de Minaur beat Alexander Zverev 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 11-9 at the Laver Cup after saving a match point in the deciding tiebreak, giving Team World a 5-3 lead over Team Europe on day two at London's O2 Arena. De Minaur bloodied his knee on a diving volley. Zverev held match point in the 10-point breaker but played a conservative point; de Minaur sealed the win when Zverev produced a weak smash and he struck a sharp down-the-line backhand winner. "If you can notice, my blood is red as well," de Minaur said. "A very tough match, a tough battle. I left it all out there, fortunate in the end to get the job done, and happy to get some points for Team World." Zverev came in on a nine-match winning streak after taking the US Open. Learner Tien had already beaten Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 2-6, 10-7 to wipe out Europe's overnight 3-1 lead. De Minaur, now with a fourth career singles win over Zverev and unbeaten in Laver Cup singles, said World knew it was the underdog but could light it up, as when it held the same position last year. Zverev had said Europe would do everything to win the weekend. Each day-three match is worth three points.