Team World close the gap at Laver Cup

The Laver Cup competition is delicately poised after Team World scored two crucial victories to round out Day 2 in Chicago.

Trailing seven points to one against Team Europe, Kevin Anderson hauled the hosts back into contention with a thrilling victory Novak Djokovic before Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock combined in doubles to close the gap even further.

Kyrgios and Sock’s 6-3 6-4 win over David Goffin and Grigor Dimitrov left scores at 7-5 in Team Europe’s favour going into the final day’s play on Sunday at the United Center.

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Anderson was brilliant in a 7-6(5) 5-7 [10-6] win over Djokovic, who in the past couple of months had won Wimbledon and the US Open to re-establish himself at the top of the game.

Tennis is ALIVE! #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/KqwVDoanyz

— Blair Henley (@BlairHenley) September 23, 2018

It was Anderson’s second victory over the Serb in eight career meetings, and first since 2008.

“We’ve had some really close matches that haven’t gone our way and I really wanted to put us (Team World) back in there,” Anderson said.

Earlier on Saturday, Roger Federer was brilliant in a 6-3 6-2 dismissal of Kyrgios, a result which extended Team Europe’s Laver Cup lead to 7-1.

The result followed on from his straight-sets win over the Australian just a few weeks ago at Flushing Meadows.

“I felt good from the beginning and that’s not usual,” Federer said. “We need some matches to get going but today I was very clear in my game plan and I got wonderful support from my team.”

Coach @RogerFederer is back! #TeamEurope2018 @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/aOMl0xzagk

— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 23, 2018

Alexander Zverev began the day’s play with a gritty 3-6 7-6(6) [10-6] win over the in-form John Isner.

Zverev saved a match point en route to the victory over the world No.10.

Day 3 of the Laver Cup is due to kick off with a doubles match pitting Europe’s Federer and Zverev against World’s Isner and Sock.

Three singles matches will then follow, with Federer to play Isner, Zverev to face Anderson and Djokovic to tackle Kyrgios.

Match wins are worth three points on the final day, with the first team to reach 13 points declared the winner.