Laver Cup 2026 Opens at The O2 With Ruud-Cerundolo Rematch and Two Debuts

The ninth Laver Cup begins

The Laver Cup returns to The O2 in London for its ninth edition, running from Friday through Sunday, with Yannick Noah again captaining Team Europe and Andre Agassi leading Team World. Team Europe won the coin toss and elected to set the lineup first on Saturday, with Team World choosing second on Sunday.

Day one singles

The day session opens at 1pm with Casper Ruud facing Francisco Cerundolo, a rematch of the pair's 2024 Berlin opener, which Cerundolo won 6-4, 6-4 in what remains Ruud's only Laver Cup singles defeat. Cerundolo leads their overall head-to-head 5-4, though Ruud took their most recent meeting, a 6-4, 7-5 win in the Madrid semifinals in 2025.

Also in the day session, Jakub Mensik takes on Brandon Nakashima. The two have met just once on tour, with Nakashima winning in three sets, 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4, this past summer on his way to the semifinals in Washington. Mensik, 21, is a 2025 Miami Open champion, while Nakashima arrives at a career-high ranking of No. 16 off a strong summer stretch that included a Montreal final and Cincinnati semifinal.

An all-debut night match

The night session, starting at 7pm, features two Laver Cup debutants meeting for the first time anywhere: 20-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar, a former University of Virginia player who has climbed 311 ranking spots in a year to reach No. 14 and won his first title on clay in Marrakech, faces Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik.

Doubles pairing

Day one closes with doubles, pairing Jakub Mensik alongside Carlos Alcaraz for Team Europe against Alexander Bublik and Taylor Fritz for Team World. Mensik and Alcaraz previously teamed up to beat Alex de Minaur and Alex Michelsen 7-6(7), 6-4 at the 2025 edition in San Francisco.

Team Europe's broader roster for the weekend also includes Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli, while Team World rounds out its side with de Minaur and Learner Tien. Matches air in the United States on Tennis Channel.