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The sport's biggest names gathered in San Francisco, United States, for the Laver Cup 2025. Day 1 (Friday, September 19) of the tournament produced some entertaining matches, with the proceedings ultimately ending in Team Europe's favor on the opening day.
Former Team World captain John McEnroe returned once again, albeit for a coin toss this time. Roger Federer was in attendance, along with other notable names from the world of tennis as well as other sports.
With the first day done and dusted, here's a recap of how the day's events unfolded at the Laver Cup:
Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik gave Team Europe a great headstart
Casper Ruud kicked off Team Europe's title defense with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over Team World's Reilly Opelka. It marked his fifth consecutive win against the American, and his second at the Laver Cup following their previous meeting in 2021.
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Jakub Mensik and Alex Michelsen took to the court for the second match of the day. The former nabbed the opening set in a hurry, dishing out a breadstick to claim it. Michelsen shook off the disappointment of the previous set, snatching the second set in a tie-break.
As per the rules, the match was decided by a 10-point tie-break instead of a traditional third set. Mensik held his nerve in it to beat Michelsen 6-1, 6-7 (3), 10-8. After winning the first couple of matches, the Europeans momentum came to a grinding halt.
Joao Fonseca won the first match for Team World
19-year-old Joao Fonseca found himself under a lot of pressure on his Laver Cup debut. After Team World lost their first two matches, the teenager needed to win his match at all costs in order to avoid falling behind by a huge margin.
Despite the circumstances, Fonseca remained unfazed as he beat Europe's Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 6-3. He became the youngest player in the history of the tournament to win a match. The rest of the Team World erupted in joy and breathed a sigh of relief after winning their first match of the day. However, their joy was rather short-lived.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jakub Mensik extended Team Europe's lead following their doubles win
Team World were eyeing to even the proceedings with the doubles tie but failed to do so. Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen had set points to claim the opening set against Carlos Alcaraz and Jakub Mensik. However, they fumbled their chances and then couldn't mount a comeback.
Alcaraz and Mensik eventually won the match in straight sets, thus putting the Europeans in charge after the conclusion of the first day. They will aim to consolidate their lead with another dominant showing on the second day.
Laver Cup 2025: Day 1 results at a glance
(Team Europe) Casper Ruud def. (Team World) Reilly Opelka: 6-4, 7-6 (4)
(Team Europe) Jakub Mensik def. (Team World) Alex Michelsen: 6-1, 6-7 (3), 10-8
(Team World) Joao Fonseca def. (Team Europe) Flavio Cobolli: 6-4, 6-3
(Team Europe) Carlos Alcaraz/Jakub Mensik def. (Team World) Taylor Fritz/Alex Michelsen: 7-6 (7), 6-4
Final score at the end of Day 1: (Team Europe) 3 - 1 (Team World)
(Each match is worth one point on Day 1, two points on Day 2, and three points on Day 3).
