Ben Shelton failed to complete a Laver Cup double over Carlos Alcaraz, losing in straight sets.
The wind-up, the leap, the zip as it kisses the corner of the service box, Ben Shelton’s serve consistently remains something to behold.
It’s slightly unfortunate that coming back from the other side of the net was one of the most agile and clean ball-strikers in the game.
Doubles success with countryman Taylor Fritz saw Team World level things up at the end of day one.
However, while Carlos Alcaraz’s dynamism wasn’t totally on show on Friday night, the Spaniard was in full flow the following day.
Raising his level at the opportune moments, Alcaraz displayed all the features of a four-time Grand Slam champion playing against someone yet to reach one.
The gulf, as it often is at the Laver Cup, was in no way enormous, however as Alcaraz has made a habit of doing, he grew into the game until he pushed it out of reach.
Ben Shelton praises remarkable and complete Carlos Alcaraz performance
With the visitors 4-2 up after Team World’s Frances Tiafoe recovered from a set down to beat Daniil Medvedev on a 10-5 match tiebreak, the pressure was on Alcaraz to haul his team back into it.
With the Spaniard quickly sussing out and nullifying the American’s biggest weapon, Shelton served only two aces in the entire match, facing 11 break-points throughout.
The American was quick to praise his opponent’s all-round superiority: “One of the things about the top guys is that, the better you play and the better you hit the ball, they actually hit the ball better as well.
“With Carlos, he’s a great offensive player, he can counterpunch, he has a lot of weapons, and his footwork is a weapon as well,” the American told the Laver Cup moments after his first ever defeat at the event.
“There were plenty of times today I felt I was in control of the point, and he either angled one past me or lobbed over my head.”
Team World are still in control of the Laver Cup and should make it three in a row
While at a quick glance, you might think Team Europe would wrap this up rather fast, a Laver Cup prediction Todd Woodbridge made.
However, with Alexander Zverev losing to Fritz for the third time since Wimbledon, Medevdev edged out by Tiafoe, and Team Europe yet to notch up a doubles win, the smart selection of players is paying immediate dividends.
As the two sides enter into the final day, the current 8-4 lead is not unassailable however.
It was 2022’s edition that saw Team Europe take a four-point advantage into the final day, only to see it completely wiped out.
However, with Team World only needing five points to reach the magic 13 required to take home victory, the odds feel stacked against the Europeans.
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