LONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Team Europe took a 3-1 lead over defending champions Team World on the opening day of the Laver Cup on Friday, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jakub Mensik closing out the night with a straight sets doubles victory at The O2.
World No. 3 Alcaraz, competing in his second tournament after the US Open following a four-month injury layoff, joined Mensik to beat Alexander Bublik and Taylor Fritz 6-4 6-4.
The Spaniard and Czech, who also partnered at last year's Laver Cup in San Francisco,
fended off three early break points before Alcaraz found his range and fired an overhead smash to secure the first break.
They broke again early in the second set and held firm from there, with Mensik serving out the match, with Alcaraz sealing victory at the net.
"I'm just trying to have fun in every place that I go and on every court that I play on," Alcaraz said.
"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 victory gave Europe three points from Friday's four matches, after Norwegian Casper Ruud got them off to a winning start by edging Francisco Cerundolo 6-7(4) 6-4 10-8.
Brandon Nakashima levelled the contest for Team World by beating 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.
Jodar, who was watched from the stands by Roger Federer and John McEnroe, said he was thrilled to have the tennis greats at his first appearance in the competition.
"It's a pleasure that they are in the stands watching me," Jodar said. "It's a pleasure to see them watching these types of matches."
OPENING STRIKES
Earlier on Friday, Ruud and Cerundolo were locked in a tight opening set, with neither player able to break before the Argentine edged the tiebreak 7-4.
Ruud responded by breaking for a 5-4 lead in the second set which he claimed before forcing the match tiebreak, where the Norwegian held his nerve after the players traded points until 8-8.
"I have to thank my team and my bench. They pushed me all the way. They kept me in it, really ... Europe can build on this," Ruud said.
Nakashima then produced a composed performance on his Laver Cup debut, racing to a 5-0 lead against Mensik before the Czech fought back to take the second set, leaving the American to wrap up victory in the match tiebreak.
"This guy... I'm not convinced he's real. I think he's AI," Team World captain Andre Agassi said, praising Nakashima's ability to stay calm under pressure. "He just goes about his business point after point after point."
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.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha and Janina Nuno Rios; Editing by Ken Ferris)
