Key Takeaways
- Casper Ruud and Francisco Cerundolo will contest the opening match of the 2026 Laver Cup at The O2 in London.
- Cerundolo entered the tournament after reflecting on “the best moment of my career” earlier this year during his title run in Buenos Aires.
- Jakub Mensik and Alexander Bublik are both scheduled to pull double duty on Day 1 by playing in singles and the concluding doubles match.
Ruud and Cerundolo renew rivalry to open London clash
The 2026 Laver Cup gets underway at The O2 in London on Friday, September 25, featuring a packed opening day where Captain Yannick Noah seeks revenge for Team Europe and Captain Andre Agassi targets a repeat title for Team World. In an opening-match rematch of their 2024 encounter in Berlin, Casper Ruud will meet Francisco Cerundolo. Cerundolo claimed that previous Laver Cup contest 6-4, 6-4, which remains Ruud’s only career singles defeat in the tournament.
Cerundolo entered the 2026 campaign after enjoying what he described as “the best moment of my career” earlier in the season, capturing a home title in Buenos Aires before lifting the biggest trophy of his career at the ATP 500 event at Queen’s Club. Ruud, competing as a new husband and father, looks to strike first for Team Europe after Noah’s squad suffered a 15-9 defeat at the Chase Center in San Francisco last year. Cerundolo holds a 5-4 head-to-head advantage, though Ruud took their most recent meeting 6-4, 7-5 in the 2025 Madrid semifinals.
Mensik, Nakashima, Jodar and doubles action complete Day 1
The afternoon session concludes with a big-serving duel between 21-year-old Jakub Mensik and 25-year-old Brandon Nakashima. Nakashima, who sits at a career-high No. 16 in the PIF ATP Rankings, won their lone prior tour-level clash in the Washington round of 16 earlier in 2026. The Southern Californian built strong summer momentum with a 12-3 run that included the Montreal final and Cincinnati semifinals, while 2025 Miami champion Mensik looks to rely on his previous tournament experience.
The night session begins with a first-time battle between two debutants when 20-year-old Spanish sensation Rafael Jodar meets Alexander Bublik. Jodar climbed 311 ranking spots to reach world No. 14 in just 1 year, highlighted by his maiden ATP title in Marrakech. He faces Bublik, who reached the top 10 earlier in the season. Day 1 wraps up with doubles, where Carlos Alcaraz and Mensik reunite after winning together in 2025 to take on Bublik and Taylor Fritz.
Laver Cup 2026 Day 1 schedule
| Session | Match | Team Europe | Team World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day (1 p.m.) | Singles 1 | Casper Ruud | Francisco Cerundolo |
| Day (1 p.m.) | Singles 2 | Jakub Mensik | Brandon Nakashima |
| Night (7 p.m.) | Singles 3 | Rafael Jodar | Alexander Bublik |
| Night (7 p.m.) | Doubles | Jakub Mensik / Carlos Alcaraz | Alexander Bublik / Taylor Fritz |
Casper Ruud in 2026
Currently the world no.17, Casper played his last match on the 24th of September when he had to retire when playing against world no.115 Christopher O Connell in the 2nd round and the scoreline was 7-5 1-2 .
At the moment, during this season the Norwegian owns a compiled 27-16 match record. Casper Ruud’s best achievement of the current year was reaching the semifinal in Rome.
