Francisco Cerundolo's Stellar Win Kickstarts Laver Cup

Francisco Cerundolo's win against Casper Ruud gave Team World an early lead at the Laver Cup. Despite five double faults, Cerundolo triumphed 6-4, 6-4 on Friday. Following were matches involving Stefanos Tsitsipas, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Grigor Dimitrov, Alejandro Tabilo, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, and Taylor Fritz. The Laver Cup and ATP tour announced a five-year extension.

Francisco Cerundolo got Team World off to a strong start at the Laver Cup with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Team Europe's Casper Ruud on Friday.

The Argentinian, ranked No. 31, managed to overcome five double faults to secure one point for his team at the indoor hard-court men's tournament, which features a Ryder Cup-style format.

Ruud, a Norwegian ranked No. 9, made 20 unforced errors compared to just 11 winners.

Later in the day, Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece was slated to play Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia, followed by Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov against Chile's Alejandro Tabilo.

The doubles match will see Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev face off against Americans Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz.

Earlier on Friday, the Laver Cup and the ATP tour announced a five-year extension to their existing agreement.

(With inputs from agencies.)