Francisco Cerundolo Defeats Casper Ruud to Give Team World Early Lead at Laver Cup
Francisco Cerundolo delivered a strong performance to give Team World an early lead at the Laver Cup on Friday, defeating Team Europe’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4. The Argentine, ranked No. 31 in the world, overcame five double faults to secure the first point for his team at the indoor hard-court event, which uses a Ryder Cup-style format.
Ruud, ranked No. 9, struggled with consistency, committing 20 unforced errors while managing just 11 winners. Cerundolo’s solid play helped him maintain control throughout the match, giving Team World an important opening victory.
Later in the day, Stefanos Tsitsipas was set to face Thanasi Kokkinakis, followed by Grigor Dimitrov taking on Alejandro Tabilo. The day’s matches will conclude with a doubles showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev against American duo Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz.
The Laver Cup, which runs until Sunday, also saw the announcement of a five-year extension to the partnership between the tournament and the ATP Tour earlier on Friday.
