The Laver Cup is back for another year of thrilling team competition, and Day 1 in San Francisco promises an interesting night session clash between two young stars. Italy’s Flavio Cobolli of Team Europe will take on Brazil’s João Fonseca of Team World.
Cobolli, at 23, and the 19-year-old Fonseca are both part of the new generation of tennis talent and this is their debuts playing at Laver Cup. They have only met once before, on the grass courts of Halle earlier this year, in a match that went the distance. Cobolli narrowly came out on top in a three-set thriller, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8), saving a match point in the process.
For Team Europe, captained by Yannick Noah, Cobolli (ranked No. 25) is a solid addition to a squad that also features top-ranked players like Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
Team World’s captain Andre Agassi will be counting on Fonseca (ranked No. 42) to make an impact, as he’s already transitioned from just a talent to a solid tour player that can challenge anyone, not at elast with his massive lefty serve.
Odds and Predictions for Cobolli vs Fonseca
This is an even match-up and an important match for both sides to gain an early advantage. Expect a high-energy, competitive match that could go down to the wire, just like their previous encounter.
Odds:
- Fonseca to win – 1.73 or -137.5
- Cobolli to win – 2.10 or +110
While the Italian has been the slightly more solid player overall this year, I think Fonseca will make a mark in this years Laver Cup in front of his tennis hero Roger Federer. The indoor hard court surface should also suit Fonseca better, as previous records show as well.
With the high level tennis he can produce on his best days, I’ll go with a 2-1 win for the Brazilian (at odds 4.40 or +340) to give Team World valuable points on the first day.
