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Matthew Stockman / Getty Images
The 2018 Laver Cup kicked off Friday night at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The European team finished the day with a 3-1 lead.
Team Europe won the world at the inaugural event last year, 15-9. It was time to try to defend his title.
On the first day of the three-day event, all eyes turned to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic doubling the nightcap. However, there were also three other matches, all in singles, played on Friday.
Below you will find an overview of the action of Day 1.
Results of the 2018 Wash Cup – Friday
Grigor Dimitrov def. Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 6-4 (1 point for Europe)
Kyle Edmund def. Jack Sock 6-4, 5-7, 10-6 (1 point for Europe)
David Goffin def. Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 4-6, 11-9 (1 point for Europe)
Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson defend Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic 6-7 [5], 6-3, 10-6
* The full schedule can be viewed on the tournament's official website
Grigor Dimitrov def. Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 6-4
Jim Young / Associated Press
Team Europe had a good start to the 2018 Laver Cup thanks to Dimitrov.
It was an impressive performance by Dimitrov, who quickly worked his opponent in two sets. He had a considerable advantage in ace (10-2), in first place (88% to 69%), in wins (57% to 30%), in points (23 to 10) and in points (59 to 36).
Wash Cup @LaverCup
First blood at # TeamEurope2018, @GrigorDimitrov defeating Tiafoe 6-1 6-4. "We knew it was going to be tough, but Grigor had a good day," said captain Borg. https://t.co/XL1Qdp8ctx
Tiafoe made things interesting in the second set, but Dimitrov was leading the game on that day.
Kyle Edmund def. Jack Sock 6-4, 5-7, 10-6
Matthew Stockman / Getty Images
While the first match of the day was marked by a convincing victory, the final match of the day was a fierce battle that took the distance, then some.
Edmund hit first, taking the first set 6-4, but Sock responded in the evening to the score in the second set. In the third and final set, the two tennis pros went back and forth and finally needed to break the tie to decide the match.
In the end, Team Europe understood.
Wash Cup @LaverCup
# TeamEurope2018 is 2-0 after Friday's session, @ Kyle8Edmund beat Sock 6-4 5-7 10-6.
"I felt that I was controlling my game in the first set, the margins are very low and the second set has escaped me, so I just tried to be aggressive in the third set." https://t.co/G5akA3GKaZ
"I felt like I was controlling my game in the first set," Edmund said. official Twitter account. "The margins are very low and the second set has escaped me, so I just tried to be aggressive in the third set."
David Goffin def. Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 4-6, 11-9
Matthew Stockman / Getty Images
In a clash between the top 15 tennis players, David Goffin, ranked 11th, took the lead ahead of Diego Schwartzman.
Goffin came out strong taking the first set 6-4, behind the strength of a 16-10 advantage when receiving points. Schwartzman, despite his disadvantage in ace (3-0) and doubles (2-0), responded to the second run. That was his 15-8 advantage in receiving the points earned and the fact that he held his opponent at only 44% of the second serve points that helped him even in the match.
Wash Cup @LaverCup
With such a tennis, you will not want to miss a moment. https://t.co/ZsGC6Snjg4 https://t.co/ynKBxsOPrp
With one point on the line, both fought until the end. Unfortunately for the world team, this match ended like the previous two, in favor of Team Europe.
Wash Cup @LaverCup
Some gold @dieschwartzman to level the tie-break of the champions at 7-7. #LaverCup https://t.co/T9SmSTBKGR
Wash Cup @LaverCup
What a performance of @David__Goffin! He was at the top ⬆️ Then he was down ⬇️ Then he was at the top ⬆️ Then he was at the bottom ⬇️ Eliminate a match point in the tiebreak of the champions to beat Schwartzman and give #Europe2018 a lead of 3-0 after singles matches on Friday. https://t.co/IprrolrylA
And you'd better believe that Goffin's teammates liked him:
The victory allowed Goffin to improve his score to 4-1 against Schwartzman.
Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson defend Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic 6-7 [5], 6-3, 10-6
To avoid being swept the first day, the world team needed the double tandem of Jack Sock and Kevin Anderson to clinch Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, two of the greatest players in the history of sport.
Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Their ATP World Tour Singles Ranking to enter the match? Federer is second, Djokovic third, Anderson ninth and Sock 17th.
Again, there is a big difference between playing singles and playing doubles. Sock is currently the second-ranked doubles player in the world and was the only player on the court to win double Grand Slam titles. The 25-year-old has three titles on his resume, winning at Wimbledon and the US Open this year.
Federer (20) and Djokovic (14) have combined 34 Grand Slam titles in their respective careers. However, their time together on the field did not have the best start:
Wash Cup @LaverCup
This match has been the talk of the city since the announcement of the composition. #Fedovic? #Djokerer? That's your call. #LaverCup https://t.co/p5BgMxcyas
This fake leads to a humorous moment between the stars:
From there, their goal was to find a point for their team.
Sock – playing his second game of the day – and Anderson gave Federer and Djokovic all they could handle in the first set, forcing a tiebreaker. As the score indicates, there was not much separation between the two parties from the beginning.
Things would change quickly in the second set, in favor of Team World. Sock and Anderson rebounded dominantly, leading a 4-1 lead before claiming the set. It was an impressive performance for Team World, which had a big advantage in ace (5-1) while earning 89% of its first serve points. In fact, Team Europe had only four points in the set.
Wash Cup @LaverCup
Well, that explains that, then.
@RogerFederer @DjokerNole
#Fedovic #Djokerer #LaverCup https://t.co/GGxp4qmTkD
And on the tie-break of 10 points, they went.
Djokovic and Federer had the first match in the tiebreaker, but Team World was able to take the second set to win. Anderson continued to make it difficult for Team Europe to return to service, while Federer had a double fault in the middle of the tiebreaker to open the door for Team World.
The benefit of the service has proven to be the deciding factor for Team World.
Given the success of Sock Duplicate, it's hard to call it a surprise. Again, it's not easy to beat Federer or Djokovic, let alone beat them both at the same time.
And after
The action will resume at 2 pm ET Saturday The first team to 13 points will be declared winner.
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