Team Europe holds a 3-1 lead over Team World after an interesting opening day of Laver Cup action at The O2 in London. With Saturday marking Day 2, where match wins are worth two points instead of one, the pressure is mounting in this fun exhibition event.
Highlighting the matchups of the second day is a main clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz, see our betting predictions below.
Day 1 Recap: How Europe Forged Ahead
Friday’s action delivered good drama as usual:
- Casper Ruud erased early jitters to outlast Francisco Cerundolo 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-8, putting Team Europe on the board.
- Team World struck back when late replacement Brandon Nakashima edged out Jakub Menšík 6-1, 3-6, 10-7.
- Team Europe reclaimed momentum when debutant Rafael Jodar dispatched Alexander Bublik 6-2, 6-3.
- In the nightcap, Alcaraz teamed up with Jakub Mensik to defeat Taylor Fritz and Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-4, securing a crucial 3-1 cushion.
Despite the early lead, Team Europe remains cautious as they have lost from similar positions before.
Day 2 Evening Match Predictions: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Taylor Fritz
In the most anticipated showdown of the evening we have Carlos Alcaraz against top ranked American Taylor Fritz.
This will be their 7th meeting and Carlitos holds a solid 5-1 lead in their H2H. They have actually met twice in the Laver Cup in previous years with one win each. The Spaniard lost their most recent Laver Cup meeting last year but the situation was very different. Then he came off title wins both in Cincinnatti and US Open, this time he has only played 5 matches since the spring.
This will go down to the current form of Alcaraz, he looked solid in the doubles yesterday and wants to continue his fine form since the comeback. Fritz is usually good in these team competitions but I think Carlos will edge it with his movement and variety over three sets.
Prediction: Alcaraz to win in 3 sets.
Other matches on Saturday:
- Cobolli vs Tien
- Zverev vs De Minaur
- Ruud /Zverev vs Nakashima / Bublik
