Depending on the outcome of the lunchtime doubles match, Team Europe's Laver Cup ambition could hinge on Daniil Medvedev getting the better of Ben Shelton at Uber Arena on Sunday.
The Russian could enter Match 10 needing to win to stay alive or supplant Team World on Day Three of the tournament to force an 11th battle between both groups in the race to reach the required 13 points.
Match preview
© Imago
Regardless of the outcome of Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud's doubles match against Shelton and Frances Tiafoe at midday, Medvedev knows facing the effervescent Shelton is a must-win in possibly the final match on the third day of the 2024 Laver Cup.
The Russian's ill-timed first defeat by Tiafoe the previous day, Alexander Zverev losing for the third time on the trot to Taylor Fritz and a catastrophic Ruud-Stefanos Tsitsipas partnership means Europe are playing catch-up on Day Three, trailing their opponents 8-4.
A win is worth three points on the event's final day, meaning success for Alcaraz and Ruud could leave Bjorn Borg's men within one point of John McEnroe's side before Medvedev takes on Shelton.
Conversely, the 2021 US Open champion's team could be trailing 11-4 when the 28-year-old takes to the court, with Team World two points away from notching a third straight Laver Cup success.
© Imago
Shelton undoubtedly hopes for the latter, as his team have shown superior team culture while taking advantage of Zverev's physical issues and Ruud's lack of confidence to open up a four-point advantage heading into the final day.
The 21-year-old responded to his earlier loss against Alcaraz the previous day by teaming up with Alejandro Tabilo to notch a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Ruud and Tsitsipas in the fourth match of day two to create separation between both groups.
It remains to be seen if the American has anything left in the tank against Medvedev in his fifth match of this year's event, and so soon after playing doubles in Sunday's early match-up.
Despite McEnroe's men's superiority before day three, they risk running out of gas against possibly fresher opponents with 13 points agonisingly within reach for a group looking to win the Laver Cup for the third year running.
Head To Head
Medvedev and Shelton have surprisingly not faced off on the ATP Tour despite the American's ascent in the last two years, and pitting their wits against the other for the first time at Uber Arena will be doubly fascinating.
The world No. 5 will be keen to bounce back from losing a 5-0 head-to-head dominance over Tiafoe to record his first triumph at this year's Laver Cup, while his younger opponent is seeking his first success in singles at the 2024 event after losing to Alcaraz on Saturday.
We say: Medvedev to win in two sets
Although Team World have opened up an advantage, Europe appear to have spread the load across their team on days one and two, meaning players like Medvedev head into Sunday fresher than Shelton.
That should stand the Russian in good stead in his first match-up with the 21-year-old American, and we are backing the fifth-ranked player in the world to notch success for Team Europe and force an 11th game between Zverev and Tiafoe.
