Carlos Alcaraz has admitted he was left stunned by Taylor Fritz’s blistering performance at the Laver Cup as Team World stormed to a clean sweep on day two of the competition.
The world No 1, widely expected to anchor Team Europe’s fightback in San Francisco, was dismantled 6-3, 6-2 by the American in a result that shocked fans and pundits alike.
Fritz, 27, had never beaten Alcaraz in three previous meetings but delivered one of the finest displays of his career to secure a statement win.
Speaking afterwards, Alcaraz gave full credit to Fritz for the way he controlled the match.
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“Well, it wasn't the match that I was expecting,” the six-time Grand Slam champion admitted.
“I think I have to look a little bit to him. I think he played great tennis. It just wasn't as solid as I wanted in the match. These conditions are pretty slow, the balls are really big, so I had to be patient and solid – and I didn’t play that match today.
"Everything went to his side. I had to congratulate him.”
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Carlos Alcaraz has hailed Taylor Fritz after he lost to the American at the Laver Cup
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Alcaraz said he could feel Fritz committing to an aggressive game plan from the opening rallies, which made the difference.
“I feel like he was more on the court than me,” he said. “The first or second shot of the rally was really important and he did much better than I did.
"That was the key – when you’re defending, it is really difficult to turn the situation around on these slow courts. Taylor was right: he was more aggressive, made better first shots, and I was running more than him.”
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WHAT. A. WIN. 😤
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 21, 2025
Taylor Fritz defeats Carlos Alcaraz to put Team World up 7-3! pic.twitter.com/fxlDGMIh6a
The 22-year-old also revealed that he struggled to adapt to the unusually slow surface despite having played doubles the previous night.
“I think in conditions like this, you need more time on court,” Alcaraz explained.
“I didn’t see the ball quite well, I was too far from it too often and not hitting in the right position. I needed more sets, more points, more rallies to really get comfortable.
"It’s difficult with just one court for all the teams to practise before matches – but still, I needed more time to adapt my game.”
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Carlos Alcaraz had never lost to Taylor Fritz before their most recent meeting
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Fritz’s victory set the tone for Team World’s dominant Saturday, with Andre Agassi’s side winning all four matches to overturn Team Europe’s early lead in the Ryder Cup-style event.
The win also marks a significant personal milestone for Fritz, who reached the 2024 US Open final but had previously been unable to get past Alcaraz.
Team Europe will now need a strong response heading into the final day if they are to prevent Team World from claiming back-to-back Laver Cup titles.
For Alcaraz, the focus will be on shaking off the defeat and adjusting to conditions more quickly in future.