Chronicle Editor
PRAGUE. – World number two tennis player Roger Federer handed Team Europe the maiden Laver Cup title after beating Team World’s Nick Kyrgios in a super tie-break thriller in Prague on Sunday.
Federer, this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, won 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 11/9 to give Team Europe an unbeatable 15-9 lead.
But the 36-year-old Swiss legend struggled against the 20th-ranked, 22-year-old Australian and his flawless serve, losing the first set on a single break.
When he finally broke Kyrgios halfway through set two, he yelled “Come on!” in relief, only to lose his serve again in the next game.
But Federer capitalised on the system of the tournament he had founded — forcing Kyrgios into longer exchanges, he edged him in the second-set tie-break, then came back from 8-5 down in the decisive super tie-break.
“I kind of felt good going into the breaker,” Federer said.
“It was a nail-biter at the end but for me personally it was a dream scenario.
”It was an incredible journey really, it was way better than I ever thought it would be,” he added about the tournament.
“It felt like winning some of the biggest matches in my life. It was like a fairy tale.” Kyrgios said the loss “just hurt.”
“I gave everything I had and I came short.”
The start of the clash saw the controversial Kyrgios briefly kneel on the court in a gesture which sparked speculation that he was joining the ongoing protest against US President Donald Trump. – AFP.
Online Reporter