The Laver Cup kicked off with an exciting start as American pair Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton managed to edge out Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev in a thrilling doubles match, bringing the scores level after the first day on Friday.

Alcaraz and Zverev, who had a memorable showdown in the French Open final a few months back, came close to taking the lead but were unable to capitalize on a crucial point in the second set. Fritz and Shelton capitalized on this opportunity, ultimately winning the match 7-6 (5), 6-4.

With the scores tied at 2-2 between Team Europe and Team World, the competition is set for an intense battle over the next two days, following a format reminiscent of golf’s Ryder Cup.

Team World took the early lead as Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina defeated Casper Ruud of Norway in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4. Ruud struggled with unforced errors, allowing Cerundolo to secure the victory.

Stefanos Tsitsipas then leveled the score for Team Europe by dominating his match against Thanasi Kokkinakis with a 6-1, 6-4 win. Tsitsipas bounced back from his previous loss at the U.S. Open to claim a comfortable victory indoors.

In a closely contested match, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria defeated Alejandro Tabilo of Chile in two tiebreak sets, lasting over two hours.

The tournament’s unique scoring system awards one point for each match win on Friday, two points on Saturday, and three points on Sunday, culminating in the first team to reach 13 points being crowned the champions. The tournament will conclude on Sunday with the final matches.

In a significant announcement earlier on Friday, the Laver Cup and the ATP tour revealed a five-year extension to their existing agreement, ensuring the continuation of this exciting event in the years to come.

Stay tuned for more thrilling matches and updates from the Laver Cup 2024!

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