Casper Ruud vs Francisco Cerundolo

Casper Ruud gave Team Europe the perfect start to the 2026 Laver Cup by battling past Francisco Cerundolo 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-8 in a tense opening match at The O2. Cerundolo took the first set in a tiebreak and appeared well positioned to repeat his victory over Ruud from the 2024 edition, but the Norwegian stayed composed and found the decisive breakthrough late in the second set.

With Cerundolo serving at 4-4, Ruud created three consecutive break points and converted the opportunity before forcing the contest into a Laver Breaker. The match remained finely balanced until the closing points, when Ruud held his nerve to complete the comeback and secure the first point of the tournament for Team Europe.