Alexander Zverev beat Kevin Anderson in the match-breaker as Team Europe defeated Team World 13-8 to retain the Laver Cup on Sunday.

Coming into the match trailing 10-8, Team World needed a victory from Anderson to set a winner-takes-all clash in match 12.

Anderson was put under pressure from Zverev early in the opening set and had to save two break points in the third game. Anderson had a set-point in the 10th game, but Zverev managed to save it and send the set into a tie-breaker.

Both men had multiple mini-breaks in the breaker, but it was Anderson who took the first set after some great returns on Zverev’s serve to take the set 7-6 (3).

Anderson had three break points in the first game of the second set, but failed to convert all three and let a good opportunity slip away. He had two further break opportunities, but could not convert those either, which came back to haunt him. In the 12th game, Zverev got his only break point of the set and grabbed it with both hands to set up a match-breaker after taking the second set 7-5.

The match-breaker was a see-saw affair with the lead exchanging hands often. While leading 7-6, Anderson lost both points on his serve to leave him trailing 7-8. Zverev took the third set 10-7 after Anderson made two unforced errors and huge celebrations followed as Team Europe reclaimed the Laver Cup with the scoreline 13-8.

Earlier in the day, Jack Sock and John Isner defeated Roger Federer and Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (2), 11-7 to give Team World their first lead in Laver Cup history.

But that 8-7 lead vanished after Federer defeated Isner 6-7 (5), 7-6 (8), 10-7 in another great match as Team Europe regained the lead.

At 10-8, Team Europe only needed to win one of the remaining two matches, and they got their victory in the first match as Zverev defeated Anderson to hand Team Europe the Laver Cup.

Photo: Lavercup.com