Tennis

LONDON — Team Europe were crowned 2026 Laver Cup champions as Alexander Zverev defeated Learner Tien to hand the trophy back to the men in blue.

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The German’s 7-6(3), 6-3 victory over Team World followed Flavio Cobolli and Jakub Mensik’s doubles win to make it 13-5 overall and ensure team captain Yannick Noah would lift the trophy for the first time.

Last year, in San Francisco, Zverev had been on the losing side when his defeat to Taylor Fritz on the deciding Sunday sealed Team World’s third title. But victory at London’s O2, in front of a packed-out crowd, ensured a sixth Team Europe Laver Cup victory in the tournament’s ninth edition.

Laver Cup glory 🔵🏆
The moment @AlexZverev defeats Tien 7-6(3), 6-3 to secure Team Europe’s sixth Laver Cup.
#LaverCup #TennisUnviraled pic.twitter.com/2SYHAI9KkB
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 27, 2026

This was just the fourth-ever meeting between the two players, with Zverev holding a 2-1 head-to-head lead; their last encounter was the 2026 Australian Open quarterfinal, where the German emerged victorious in four sets.

But you could argue the American entered with the more positive mindset, having beaten Cobolli in Saturday’s singles session, while Zverev suffered a painful «Laver Breaker» defeat by Alex de Minaur on the same day.

MORE: How Team Europe won the 2026 Laver Cup

Some early nerves from Zverev were clear, with two double faults in his opening service game. Debutant Tien, playing with the weight of his team’s title hopes on his shoulders, actually looked the more composed in the early stages as the two exchanged hard-hitting blows.

There was little to separate them, but at 5-5, Zverev brought up three break points. Tien saved the first with the point of the match in a long, defensive rally as he was rewarded for his efforts. He saved the second two with power and precision before forcing Zverev into an overcooked forehand. The two-time grand slam champion was frustrated to say the least, after giving up the three break points with Tien standing firm.

Zverev put those frustrations aside, saving set point on his serve at 5-6 and then going on to win the tie-break, closing out the set 7-3 with a massive serve the American failed to return.

The soundtrack of the Laver Cup 2026 champions 🔵🏆#LaverCup #TennisUnrivaled pic.twitter.com/IHirsM3tv5
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 27, 2026

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The significant moment of the match came in the sixth game of the second set. Sensing a bit of hesitation from Tien on his shot-making, Zverev seized the initiative and broke the American’s serve to take a 4-2 lead.

Tien delivered an instant response, racing to 0-40. But three errors from Tien, followed by two perfectly executed overhead smashes from Zverev, put Team Europe one game away from the match and the trophy.

Tien held serve to at least force Zverev to serve for the trophy, but the world No. 2 put last year’s demons to bed to hold and spark wild celebrations with his teammates.

Tennis

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