After shedding each matches throughout Friday’s afternoon session of the 2025 Laver Cup, Crew World was seeking to even issues up through the nightcap at Chase Heart in San Francisco.
To take action, nevertheless, Crew World must get by the most effective males’s tennis participant on the planet — world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz — who’s main Crew Europe on this eighth version of this three-day event named in honor of Australian tennis legend Rod Laver.
And Crew World (aka, everyplace else not known as Europe) would fall brief in that endeavor, because the doubles staff of Alcaraz (Spain) and world No. 17 Jakub Mensik (Czech Republic) vanquished the 2 Individuals — No. 4 Taylor Fritz and No. 32 Alex Michelsen.
However it actually wasn’t simple, as Fritz and Michelsen put up a valiant battle — particularly throughout a marathon first set that lasted over an hour and needed to be determined in a tie-breaker. The 2 doubles groups traded service breaks, left and proper, through the first half of the breaker, earlier than Alcaraz and Mensik lastly put the breaker to mattress 9-7.
The Crew Europe duo then went on to complete out the second set 6-4.
Mensik and Michelsen had additionally performed a singles match through the day session, with the Czech triumphing over the American. They cut up the primary two units then Mensik prevailed through the “Laver Breaker.”
The Alcaraz/Mensik vs. Fritz/Michelsen doubles match adopted a really pleasing singles contest between world No. 25 Flavio Cobolli (Italy) and No. 42 João Fonseca (Brazil) on Friday evening.
The match, which clocked in at just below 90 minutes, was fairly lifeless even — in just about each regard — by way of 4 video games. The Italian was the primary to shake up the scoreboard, breaking within the fifth after which holding serve for a 4-2 lead.
That was the beginning of the rollercoaster journey, which went into full loop-di-loop mode as Fonseca ended up holding serve after which breaking Cobolli twice to take the set in thrilling trend 6-4.
Combining spot-on serves with a sledgehammer forehand, Fonesca broke Cobolli within the fourth sport. Then the Italian broke proper again within the fifth, when what ought to have a been a straightforward forehand winner from Fonseca sailed vast proper.
At that time, Fonseca actually appeared to buckle down — and amp up the ability — and managed to win the second set in convincing trend 6-3.
That put Crew World on the scoreboard for the primary time on the 2025 Laver Cup.
On the finish of the Day 1, the tally stands at Crew Europe 3, Crew World 1.
So as to win the Laver Cup, a staff should accumulate 13 factors. The event continues by way of Sunday. For extra data, go to lavercup.com.
