Laver Cup Friday: Joao Fonseca, Casper Ruud headline Day 1 kick off

SAN FRANCISCO—Just over a decade after the ATP Tour event in the San Francisco Bay Area left the region, the men have returned. How fitting that in a part of the country renowned for innovation that its 2025 incarnation of high-level men’s pro tennis is the highly creative and compelling team event, the Laver Cup.

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Taking place over three days starting on Friday, September 19 inside San Francisco’s Chase Center, one of Laver Cup’s biggest stylistic wrinkles is that each day, victors are awarded more points as the two squads seek to earn the 13 points required for victory. A Friday victory counts as one, Saturday two, Sunday three. Another element is that in lieu of a third set, matches are decided by a ten-point tiebreak. The payoff of this concurrently compressed and expansive format is that the competition will not be decided until the last day, making for a rare mix of collaboration and intensity.

Led by new captains Yannick Noah and Tim Henman, Team Europe is the holder, winner of this event five times in its seven-year history. Team World, also boasting a new leadership duo in Andre Agassi and Patrick Rafter, is seeking to regain the title it last won two years ago.

Here’s a look at Friday’s four matches:

Casper Ruud (Team Europe) vs. Reilly Opelka (Team World)

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Four years ago, these two met at a Laver Cup match in Boston. Ruud won that one. The man from Norway has also emerged triumphant in all three of their other matches. Ranked No. 12 in the world, Ruud has gone 3-1 in Laver Cup singles matches. After struggling with injuries, Opelka this year has soared up the ranks from 293 at the end of 2024 to a current spot of 62, has only played one Laver Cup singles match, losing to Ruud 6-3, 7-6 (4).

The equation in this one is simple: Surely Opelka will hold his tremendous serve swiftly many times. But will he make any kind of dent when returning? Backed most of all by a massive forehand, Ruud’s ability to build points is impressive.

Jakub Mensik (Team Europe) vs. Alex Michelsen (Team World)

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It’s always intriguing when two young contenders play one another for the first time. Add another layer when it happens in a team event. The 17th-ranked Mensik knows all about team play, having less than a week ago in a Davis Cup tie in Florida won the decisive point for Czechia when he beat America’s Frances Tiafoe with in an impressive display of crackling baseline play. Michelsen, now No. 32 in the rankings, hasn’t competed since losing in the first round of the US Open.

Will the 20-year-old Mensik be tired? Or instead, will he ride the wave of inspiration that is often uniquely fueled when a tennis player joins forces with others? Michelsen, a year older than Mensik, is surely eager to make his Laver Cup debut memorable—and also has the kind of appetite for competition necessary to thrive in this environment.

Flavio Cobolli (Team Europe) vs. Joao Fonseca (Team World)

Another encounter between two players very much in the early stages of their tennis journeys. The only time these two have met came earlier this year, on the grass at Halle. And the margin was razor-thin, Cobolli winning 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8). From there, he went on to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and by late July had attained a career-high ranking of No. 17 (he’s since dropped a bit and is currently No. 25). An alternate at last year’s Laver Cup, the 23-year-old Cobolli now makes his debut.

Ranked No. 42 in the world, the 19-year-old Fonseca is the only teenager in the Top 50 and this year has generated all sorts of attention as a potential great. Unquestionably, the Fonseca forehand is exceptionally dynamic. The rest of the pieces are still coming together. But perhaps his first try at Laver Cup will spark further growth.

Carlos Alcaraz-Jakub Mensik (Team Europe) vs. Taylor Fritz-Alex Michelsen (Team World)

To steal a phrase once used about John McEnroe, I’d dare say that when it comes to doubles, it doesn’t get much more engaging than Carlos Alcaraz when paired with anybody. After all, as Alcaraz has shown swiftly in recent years, he is the most exciting man in tennis. And what will the promising Mensik bring to the picture?

The two Californians, Fritz and Michelsen, are excellent competitors and will bring their own brand of intensity and firepower to this matchup. Many points will be lively. And I suspect there will be far more laser-like down-the-line drives than usual for a doubles match. But this is contemporary doubles, and with each team eager to make one last statement as night falls on San Francisco, look for shots to sizzle.