Alcaraz on song as Team Europe take 3-1 lead over Team World at Laver Cup

The Laver Cup is a three-day team competition that pits six of Europe's top male tennis players against six from the rest of the world.

Each team comprises three players who qualify through the ATP singles rankings and three captain's picks, with 12 matches contested across five sessions - nine singles and three doubles.

Matches are worth one point on Friday, two on Saturday and three on Sunday, with the first team to reach 13 points crowned champion.

On Friday, Rafael Jodar marked his Laver Cup debut with a straight-sets win over Alexander Bublik, while Casper Ruud also earned Europe a point with his win over Francisco Cerundolo in three sets.

Brandon Nakashima claimed Team World's only win of the day when he downed Jakub Mensik, before Mensik recovered to seal another point for the Europeans in the doubles as he teamed up with Carlos Alcaraz to defeat Bublik and Tommy Fritz.

"With Carlos, it's always about good energy," said Mensik of his doubles win. "We complete each other pretty well on the court."

"I feel the same way," said Alcaraz. "Spending time on court with Jakub, it's a great experience. I think we have great chemistry. We're just 100 percent efficient when we team up. He's a nice person off the court, as well. We have great laughs, and I think we translate that on the court."

"It was a very interesting first day, a lot of emotions," said Team Europe captain Yannick Noah. "But the spirit in the team is very good. But I know that last year we were up 3-1 the first day, so now it's time to go rest and get ready for a good, interesting weekend."

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