Tennis pro Alexander Zverev missed a win for Team Europe in his first Laver Cup appearance in front of a home crowd in Berlin. The Tokyo Olympic champion lost in the doubles alongside Spanish Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz against the American pairing of Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz 6:7 (5:7), 4:6. After the opening day, the score is now 2:2.
In the team competition, which is based on the Ryder Cup in golf, Team Europe will face a world selection. A total of twelve matches will be played in the three-day tournament. To win, a team must score 13 points, with games won on the first day counting for one point, two points on Saturday and three points on Sunday.
Previously, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas had won points for Team Europe with a win against the Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis and the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov with a victory over Alejandro Tabilo from Chile. The world selection coached by tennis legend John McEnroe had taken the lead thanks to a win by the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo against the Norwegian Casper Ruud.
Many sports celebrities in the stands
The organizers also announced on the opening day that the team competition will continue to have a permanent place in the ATP calendar. Both parties extended the partnership, which has existed since 2019, for a further five years. The tournament will therefore benefit from the operational support, reach and marketing services of the ATP, among other things. The seventh edition of the Laver Cup is currently taking place in Berlin.
The overall standings and results
Team Europe – Team World 2:2 (score after four of twelve games)
Francisco Cerundolo (Argentina) – Casper Ruud (Norway) 6:4, 6:4
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greechenland) – Thanasi Kokkinakis (Australia) 6:1, 6:4
Grigor Dimitrow (Bulgarian) – Alejandro Tabilo (Chile) 7:6 (7:4), 7:6 (7:2)
Ben Shelton/Taylor Fritz (both USA) – Alexander Zverev (Hamburg)/Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) 7:6 (7:5), 6:4
