Europe is back in charge of the Laver Cup. Alexander Zverev closed on Sunday at the O2 in London the victory of the European team after defeating the American Learner Tien by 7-6(3) and 6-3, a triumph that raised the overall score to the definitive 13-5 and allowed the team led by Yannick Noah to reclaim the trophy after the defeat suffered a year ago in San Francisco. The German thus reappeared in one of the settings where he has felt most comfortable during his career and made the last two scheduled matches of the day unnecessary.
The last day began with Europe ahead 7-5, but with a particularity that turns every Sunday of the Laver Cup into a race against time: the victories of the last day are worth three points. The doubles team formed by Flavio Cobolli and Jakub Mensik struck first by overcoming Alex de Miñaur and Taylor Fritz 7-5 and 6-3, putting Europe just one victory away from the title. Zverev then took to the court against Tien and did not miss the opportunity.
Zverev overcomes the last obstacle
Tien forced the German to work especially hard during the first set. The American, one of the young players who has grown the most during this season and ranked 13th in the ATP ranking before the tournament, managed to take the first set to a tiebreak, but there Zverev imposed his experience and won the tie-break 7-3. From then on, the match began to tilt more clearly towards the European, who closed the second set 6-3 and mathematically secured the trophy.
The outcome also confirmed Zverev's special relationship with a competition he has been competing in since its first edition, held in Prague in 2017. The German has participated in the European titles of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024 and now 2026, and arrived in London as one of the most productive players in the history of the tournament. The organization highlighted before the start of this edition that no one had played more matches or accumulated more victories in the Laver Cup.
The victory also holds special value for Zverev after what happened on Saturday. Alex de Miñaur then came back against the German 2-6, 7-6(5) and 11-9, managing to save a match point in a super tie-break in which Zverev had led 6-4. That defeat had put the Rest of the World ahead 5-3 and threatened to repeat the script of San Francisco 2025.
Alcaraz held Europe up when it was at its worst
If Zverev has placed the final signature, Carlos Alcaraz played a decisive role in getting Europe alive and ahead to Sunday. The Murcian faced Taylor Fritz on Saturday when Andre Agassi's team was leading 5-3 and managed to win 6-3, 4-6 and 13-11, saving two match points before closing one of the most intense matches of the weekend. That victory brought the overall score back to a tie and allowed Europe to regain momentum.
The match also had an outstanding account. Fritz had defeated Alcaraz in the 2025 Laver Cup, a victory that was crucial for the Rest of the World to win the title in San Francisco by 15-9. This time the Spaniard managed to turn the outcome around and kept his extraordinary record against players from the rival team practically intact.
Europe finished Saturday with 7-5 advantage, enough to depend on itself on a Sunday where each win was worth three points. The combination turned out perfect: first Cobolli and Mensik raised the score to 10-5 and then Zverev reached the 13 points needed to immediately end the competition.
Alcaraz and Rafa Jódar no longer had to take the court
The speed with which Europe resolved the day left two Spaniards who were included in the Sunday planning without participation. Carlos Alcaraz and Rafa Jódar were supposed to play the following individual matches if the title remained open, but Zverev's victory made those matches unnecessary.
Jódar had been one of the great novelties of the European team for London. The young Spaniard, who was making his debut in the Laver Cup, was part of a team completed by Alcaraz, Zverev, Cobolli, Mensik, and Casper Ruud. Yannick Noah thus maintained a good part of the block that had lost the previous edition and incorporated the Spaniard as the main novelty to try to reclaim the cup.
The competition had started precisely with Europe taking the lead. The format awards one point for a win on Friday, two on Saturday, and three on Sunday, and gives the title to the first team that reaches 13. That progression keeps the tournament open even when one of the teams dominates during the early sessions and explains why the 7-5 with which this Sunday started was far from definitive.
Europe reclaims the trophy a year later
The triumph of London allows the European team to immediately reclaim a cup that it had lost in San Francisco 2025, where the Rest of the World won 15-9. Before starting the current edition, Europe dominated the historical record with five titles to three, so the success of 2026 now extends that advantage.
The Laver Cup was born in 2017 as a team competition inspired by the Ryder Cup in golf and pits six European tennis players against six from the rest of the world over three days. The tournament does not award points for the ATP ranking, but it has regularly brought together some of the main figures of the circuit and built a unique identity around a format in which players who normally compete against each other share the bench.
In London, Zverev ended up having the last word. After falling on Saturday to De Miñaur, the German bounced back less than 24 hours later and defeated Tien when Europe had the title within reach of a single victory. The 7-6(3) and 6-3 closed the competition early and returned the Laver Cup to Yannick Noah's team with a resounding 13-5.