The Laver Cup
Cerundolo disrupted the ranks of Ruud, Tsitsipas in Europe in the Laver Cup
Alcaraz/Zverev meet Fritz/Shelton in a blockbuster doubleheader clash later on Friday
September 20, 2024
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for the Laver Cup
John McEnroe welcomed Francisco Cerundolo after defeating Argentina’s Casper Ruud in Berlin.
By ATP staff
Francisco Cerundolo helped Team World take its first step towards a third consecutive Laver Cup title on Friday afternoon. Stefanos Tsitsipas of the European team then issued a quick reminder of the challenge facing the Argentinian player and his teammates this weekend in Berlin.
Number 31 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Cerundolo upset Casper Ruud in the opening match of the 2024 edition of the group event. He won 6-4, 6-4 after 97 minutes to take a 4-3 lead in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with World No.
“I am very happy. I was responsible for going there to play the first game. I knew it would be difficult,” said Cerundolo in a press conference after the game. “Casper is a great player. We played a lot of times, so I knew how he was going to play, and I think I did a great job from start to finish.
“I was really there, focused, and very happy to get my second Laver Cup win and first this year.”
Cerundolo beat Ruud 16 to 11 to avenge his recent loss to the Norwegians at the Paris Olympics. The Argentine adapted more quickly to the indoor conditions at the Uber Arena than Ruud, who consistently struggled with his groundstrokes, to give the World Team and its captain John McEnroe a good start in Berlin.
“We’ve seen it a few times, where it can come down to one or two points on the last day, so every point is very important,” said Team World Vice-Captain Patrick McEnroe. “Especially, I think, the first game, it’s good to get some momentum.”
If Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg is after a quick answer, he certainly got one from Tsitsipas. Greece won 6-1, 6-4 over Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second match of the afternoon session.
Tsitsipas set the tone in the first point of the match, when he pushed Kokkinakis with a sharp backhand before stepping in to clear a strong volley. World No. The 12 didn’t look back from there, and he completed his victory by breaking his Australian rivals three times in his 81-minute win.
Looks sharp 💪@steftsitsipas earned a point on Team Europe with a 6-1 6-4 win over Kokkinakis.@LaverCup | #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/obPaeZAv72
– ATP Tour (@atptour) September 20, 2024
One point from each victory on Day 1, which left the score between the European Group and the World Group at 1-1 heading into Friday evening’s session, when Grigor Dimitrov will face Alejandro Tabilo, ahead of Alexander Zverev and Laver Cup favorite. Carlos Alcaraz meets Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton in the opening tournament of the weekend.
