Team World set off the second day of action at the sixth edition of the Laver Cup with a solid win. The men in red extended their lead 5-0 over Team Europe with a victory at the hands of Taylor Fritz, who fought past Andrey Rublev at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Saturday afternoon.
Team World Taylor Fritz and World No. 6 Andrey Rublev opened proceedings on Day 2 at Laver Cup, squaring off in their singles action matchup in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday.
The top contest saw the 25-year-old emerging victorious 6-2, 7-6(3) after one hour and 30 minutes.
Moreover, he secured two more points for Team World; the squad finished Day 1 with a 4-0 lead on the scoreboard after taking all four matches on Friday.
In his on-court interview, the World No. 8 commented: “Any type of team environment, I feel like it always elevates my game.”
Adding: “I feel like my record in team events is really strong because I have a team cheering for me. I get pumped up.
“I’m excited to play for them. It just adds more pressure and fire to it. I think I play better in those situations.”
Rublev, a nine-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, set foot on the hard courts in Vancouver on Friday night to play doubles alongside 19-year-old Arthur Fils.
Team Europe representatives lost to the American pairing, Frances Tiafoe/Tommy Paul 6-3 4-6, [10-6]).
On Saturday afternoon, he dropped his serve early in the opener, which would cost him high.
The Moscow native attempted a recovery, but the California-born rushed to halt his efforts, producing a double break in the fifth game and never looking back.
He notched the first set 6-2 in just 27 minutes, missing only two points behind his serve.
In the second set, Rublev regrouped to open a 3-0 advantage over the American player, who found his way back, using his big forehand and serve to break in the seventh game to narrow the score to 3-4.
Building upon his momentum, Fritz marched to draw level 6-6, forcing a tiebreak, which he earned 7-6(3) in 63 minutes, saving a set point in the 12th game.
Overall, he won 76 percent of his first-serve points, firing seven aces.
The showdown continues with the clash between Team Europe Casper Ruud and Paul as the former seeks to recover lost ground by winning the first points for his team after five matches.
According to the rules established by the competition, the matches are worth one point on Friday, two on Saturday, and three on Sunday. The first team to reach 13 points will be the crown champion.
In addition, both singles and doubles are best of three sets with ad scoring. In the event of split sets, the third set is a 10-point match tiebreaker.
The three-day team competition features six of the best players from Europe against six of their counterparts from the rest of the World.