Zverev completes Laver Cup win for Europe

Osaka wins Toray Pan Pacific, her 1st title on Japan soil

GENEVA, Sept 22, (Agencies): Alexander Zverev snatched the Laver Cup for Team Europe as he beat Canada’s Milos Raonic in the final rubber of a thrilling three days of action on Sunday.

With Rafa Nadal forced out with a hand injury at the start of the day and Roger Federer suffering a doubles defeat, it looked as though John McEnroe’s Team World would take the title.

But after Federer beat John Isner, number 61 Tsonga had returned after a seven-month absence due to left knee surgery and the 2008 Australian Open finalist showed his battling qualities much to the delight of the home crowd.

In St Petersburg, Russia, US Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev continued his superb form in the second half of the season, beating Croatia’s Borna Coric 6-3, 6-1 in the St Petersburg Open final on Sunday to claim his third title of the year.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka smiles during an award ceremony after winning the Toray Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament in Osaka, western Japan on Sept 22. (AP)

Medvedev was playing in his fifth consecutive final after Washington, Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open and the 23-year-old became the first Russian to claim the St Petersburg Open trophy since Mikhail Youzhny 15 years ago.

He broke Croatia’s Coric twice en route to taking the opening set and tightened his grip on the contest with two more breaks in the second to seal his sixth career title.

Should he maintain his form, the world number four will a top contender at November’s season-ending ATP Finals in London, in which he is due to appear for the first time.

In Osaka, Japan, Naomi Osaka won her first singles title since the Australian Open in January by beating Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-3 in the Toray Pan Pacific final on Sunday.

Enjoying strong support from a parochial crowd, the former No. 1-ranked Osaka dominated the match with her powerful ground-strokes and broke Pavlyuchenkova’s serve twice to take the opening set in 31 minutes.

Top-seeded Osaka didn’t ease off in the second set, denying the Russian any chance of getting a foothold in the match and closed out with an ace.

It is Osaka’s first title in the country of her birth – she lost finals in Tokyo in 2016 and ‘18 – and fourth in her career. She won back-to-back majors at the US Open in 2018 and the Australian Open in January.