Carlos Alcaraz starred for Team Europe as it claimed a 3-1 lead in the 2026 edition of the Laver Cup’s first night at The O2 on Friday.
The Europeans started by claiming the first of Friday’s four matches when Norwegian Casper Rudd defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-8 in a tight encounter.
Brandon Nakashima levelled the contest for Team World by beating Jakub Mensik 6-1, 3-6, 10-7, before Rafael Jodar restored Europe’s lead with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory over Alexander Bublik in the Spaniard’s Laver Cup debut.
Alcaraz and Mensik then teamed up for the men’s doubles match, winning 6-4, 6-4 against Bublik and Taylor Fritz.
“I’m just trying to have fun in every place that I go and on every court that I play on,” Alcaraz said after play.
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“I don’t usually play doubles … I just try to enjoy and be better at things. I use doubles to try and improve my tennis, a couple of adjustments. Having a partner like Jakub, it’s really easy to have fun on the court.”
The three-day Laver Cup pits six players from Europe against six from the rest of the world, with victories worth one point on Friday, two on Saturday and three on Sunday.
The first team to reach 13 points wins the title.
Published on Sep 26, 2026
