LONDON — 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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