First day of Laver Cup brought outstanding tennis with Team Europe taking 3-1 lead

The first day of the first-ever Laver Cup, underway in Prague, saw Team Europe take a 3-0 lead before Team World got one point back. Team Europe won all three singles matches on Friday but stumbled in the doubles; even then the match came down the wire.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and Tomáš Berdych, playing together for the first time, fell behind early - losing the first set to Team World's Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock. They came back in the second to force the super tiebreak.

Both sides played outstanding tennis especially in the second set and super tiebreak: one rally in particular had the crowd on its feet.

Team Europe were beaten in the tiebreak but the match turned on one or two points and could have gone either way.

The innovative points system in the new tournament means there will be higher stakes on Saturday. Wins on Saturday will be worth two points compared to Friday's one. To win the Laver Cup, one team has to tally 13 points over three days.

Author: Jan Velinger