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Tennis-Laver Cup tied 1-1 as Ruud, Nakashima win opening matches

LONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Team Europe's Casper Ruud ⁠edged Francisco Cerundolo in the Laver Cup opening match before defending champions Team World struck back with ⁠Brandon Nakashima's win over Jakub Mensik to leave the teams tied at 1-1 after the first two ‌matches on Friday.

The Star MalaysiaReuters2026-09-25 17:40查看原文 ↗

Tennis - Laver Cup - O2 Arena, London, Britain - September 25, 2026 Team Europe's Casper Ruud in action during his singles match against Team World's Francisco Cerundolo REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Norwegian Ruud beat Cerundolo 6-7(4) 6-4 10-8 in the latest clash between the long-time rivals, who have now won five matches apiece after 10 meetings.

The second match was also decided by a 10-point tiebreak, the de facto third set, as American Nakashima defeated Mensik 6-1 3-6 10-7.

"That's tennis for you, the margins are small," said Ruud, who pulled ⁠out of the US Open with a back ⁠injury before representing Swede in the Davis Cup this month.

Ruud and Cerundolo firmly held their own serves in the first ⁠set ‌before the Argentine outwitted the three-times Grand Slam finalist in the tiebreak with feints and forceful returns.

But Ruud, constantly encouraged by world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz and other teammates, staged a comeback in the second, getting ⁠the decisive break to go 5-4 up and close out the set.

The match tiebreak remained neck and neck ‌until 8-8, before Ruud pushed Cerundolo back with a strong serve and then smashed the ball cross-court ⁠to win the match.

"I have to thank my team and my bench. They pushed me all the way. They kept me in it, really ... Europe can build on this," said Ruud.

'AI' NAKASHIMA LEADS TEAM WORLD COMEBACK

But Team World's comeback was swift as Nakashima dominated the first set, breaking Czech ⁠Mensik twice in a row to build a 5-0 advantage that helped secured the first set.

Mensik then took a 3-0 lead and got himself into the contest by taking the second set. However, Nakashima was ultimately victorious on his Laver Cup debut, winning three points in a row to clinch the match ⁠tiebreak.

"This guy... I'm not convinced he's real. I think he's AI," Team World captain Andre Agassi said, praising world No. 16 Nakashima's ability to stay calm under pressure. "He just goes about his business point after point after point."

Team World's Alexander Bublik takes on Spaniard Rafael Jodar later on Friday followed by a doubles clash in which Alcaraz and Mensik play for Team Europe against Taylor Fritz and Bublik.

In the three-day Laver Cup, where the ⁠sport's top players from Europe and the rest of the world compete against each other, victories on the opening day are worth a point.

Two points are awarded for victories on the second day, ‌while the stakes get higher on the final day, with three points up for grabs in each match on Sunday.

The first side to reach 13 points from a total of 24 available are declared champions.

(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Purulia, India; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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网球 - 拉沃尔杯 - 英国伦敦O2体育馆 - 2026年9月25日欧洲队选手卡斯珀·鲁德在与世界队选手弗朗西斯科·塞伦多洛的单打比赛中。（路透社/迪伦·马丁内斯摄）

伦敦，9 月 25 日（路透社）——在拉沃尔杯首场比赛中，欧洲队的卡斯珀·鲁德险胜弗朗西斯科·塞伦多洛，而卫冕冠军世界队则凭借布兰登·中岛战胜雅库布·门西克扳回一城，使得两队在周五的前两场比赛后战成 1-1 平。

在与宿敌的最新一次交锋中，挪威选手鲁德以 6-7(4) 6-4 10-8 击败了塞伦多洛。此前两人交手 10 次，目前各胜 5 场。

第二场比赛也是通过 10 分抢七决胜负，实际上是第三盘，美国选手中岛以 6-1 3-6 10-7 击败门西克。

“这就是网球，胜负往往只在一线之间，”鲁德说道。他因背伤退出了美国网球公开赛，之后于本月代表瑞典参加了戴维斯杯。

鲁德和塞伦多洛在第一盘中都稳稳地保住了自己的发球局，之后阿根廷人在抢七局中凭借假动作和强劲的回球击败了这位三次大满贯亚军得主。

但鲁德在世界排名第三的卡洛斯·阿尔卡拉斯和其他队友的不断鼓励下，在第二盘展开反击，取得决定性的破发，以 5-4 领先并赢得了该盘。

比赛进入抢七局，双方比分一直胶着到 8-8，之后鲁德凭借一记强劲的发球将塞伦多洛逼回原地，然后一记斜线扣杀赢得了比赛。

“我必须感谢我的队友和替补席。他们一路激励着我，让我坚持了下来……欧洲可以以此为榜样，”鲁德说道。