Nakashima beats Mensik to tie Laver Cup at 1-1 after opening session

The Associated Press• ·
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 25: Brandon Nakashima of Team World during his match against Jakub Mensik of Team Europe on day one of the 2026 Laver Cup between Team Europe and Team World at The O2 on September 25, 2026 in London, England.
Shaun Brooks - CameraSport / CameraSport / Getty

LONDON (AP) — Brandon Nakashima made the most of his Laver Cup debut, beating Jakub Mensik 6-1, 3-6, 10-7 to pull Team World level with Team Europe at 1-1 after the opening session Friday.

The 16th-ranked Nakashima was a late addition to Andre Agassi's roster after U.S. Open runner-up Ben Shelton withdrew last week.

Casper Ruud had put Europe up 1-0 by beating Francisco Cerundolo 6-7 (4), 6-4, 10-8 in the opening match at the 02 Arena.

In the evening session, it’s Rafael Jodar of Team Europe against Alexander Bublik of Team World and then a doubles match featuring Carlos Alcaraz and Mensik vs. Bublik and Taylor Fritz.

There are four matches per day in the three-day event.

Wins are worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday and three points on Sunday. The first team to reach 13 points wins the event.

Europe has won the Laver Cup five times while Team World took its third title in last year's edition of the Ryder Cup-style event.

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