SEPT 20 - 22, 2024 | BERLIN
First-day matches for Laver Cup Berlin 2024 have been released. Starting at 1pm at Uber Arena on Friday, September 20, Team Europe’s Casper Ruud takes on Team World’s Francisco Cerundolo in Match 1 followed by Stefanos Tsitsipas against Thanasi Kokkinakis.
In the night session, starting at 7pm, Team Europe’s Grigor Dimitrov will face Team World debutant Alejandro Tabilo followed by a doubles between first-time Europe representative Carlos Alcaraz and German Alexander Zverev, making his fifth appearance for the blue team against new Team World combination Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
Both singles and doubles are best of three sets with ad scoring. In the event of split sets, the third set is a 10-point match tiebreaker. Matches on Day 1 are worth one point each, matches on Day 2 are worth two points each and Day 3 matches are worth three points each. The first team to reach 13 points wins the Laver Cup.
Ruud, who is making his third appearance with Team Europe, is undefeated in Laver Cup, notching wins at Boston 2021, London 2022 and Vancouver 2023. Currently ranked No.9 in the world, the Norwegian is tied 3-3 with Argentine Cerundolo, who won his first Laver Cup singles match on Day 1 in Vancouver. They last played at the Paris Olympics on clay, where Ruud emerged the victor 6-3, 6-4 in the Round of 16.
Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis stunned Tsitsipas at the recent US Open, notching one of the biggest wins of his career against the 12th-ranked Greek. Kokkinakis, who was an alternate for Team World at the inaugural Laver Cup in Prague seven years ago, derailed Tsitsipas 7-6(5) 4-5 6-3 7-5 at Flushing Meadows, however the Greek won their only other match in 2021 in five sets at the Australian Open. Tsitsipas has represented Team Europe in three Laver Cup editions and holds a 4-3 win-loss record: 3-1 in singles and 1-2 in doubles.
Friday night’s matches see Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov return to Laver Cup competition, having won his opening singles in Chicago in 2018. Currently ranked No.10, Dimitrov won the only match he has played against Tabilo this year in Miami, posting a 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 6-2 victory against the 27-year-old Chilean.
Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz is making his first appearance on Bjorn Borg’s six-man roster and will make a doubles debut with local hero Zverev in the final night match session. Their opponents – Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz – are a new combination for Team World, however both players have posted outstanding results at Laver Cup. Fritz, the 2024 US Open finalist, holds a 3-1 record in Laver Cup singles and is the red team’s highest-ranked player at No.7 after his best season on Tour. No.13-ranked Shelton made a stunning debut at Laver Cup Vancouver last year, winning his opening singles match and two doubles, partnering with Felix Auger-Aliassime on Saturday and Frances Tiafoe on Sunday.
Berlin marks the seventh time Team Europe has battled Team World for the Laver Cup and leads the competition 4-2, winning at Prague, Chicago, Geneva and Boston before Team World’s breakthrough at London and follow-up victory in Vancouver.
