Daniil Medvedev had a first glimpse into life as a grand slam champion in Boston last night. He liked what he saw. Having barely picked up a racket since his US Open victory a fortnight ago, the Russian had been unsure what to expect from his Laver Cup debut against Denis Shapovalov. He needn’t have worried. Short on practice but long on belief after his breakthrough in New York, the Russian took little time to find his range, racing to a 6-4, 6-0 victory.
“In practice I was playing pretty good, which I was surprised by because usually, when I don’t take a racket for some days, I lose it really fast,” said Medvedev, the world No 2. “But the confidence of winning a grand slam of course helps, and I think that’s what got me going today because there were a few moments in the first set where I was kind of not sure what I was doing.
“I remember the first break point I gave him an easy shot and you are like doubting a little bit. Could have played better, he won the game. But then everything [came] together and the only thing I was saying to myself was, you know, ‘Believe in yourself, you are playing great, and just put pressure on him.’”
Shapovalov started in typically swashbuckling style, drawing on the full range of his extensive repertoire as he swept away forehand winners, charged in behind his serve and feathered drop shots. Having survived a break point to clinch a lengthy fifth game, the 12th-ranked Canadian celebrated wildly, doing his best to whip the crowd into a frenzy. John McEnroe, the Team World captain, dished out bananas and volleying advice at the change of ends.
Medvedev, meanwhile, went calmly about his business, flying through his service games and settling into his rhythm from the baseline. There was a fleeting moment of worry for the Russian in the eighth game when he was taken to deuce for the first time, but there is nothing quite like a 128mph to settle the nerves, and having quelled the danger he did not lose another game.
“He started pretty well, was going to the net,” said Medvedev. “When you play a match for the first time in a few days, a passing shot is a tough shot to make because you really have a small margin to pass a guy. He was surprising me with some shots, so I needed to adapt. The first break, with the new balls, so I could go a little bit faster and he didn’t have time to prepare for his big shots, helped me to gain confidence and to feel like, ‘OK, that’s the moment where I can completely close the match,’ and that’s what happened.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas earlier defeated Nick Kyrgios, winning 100% of the points behind his first serve in the opening set and surviving a shoe malfunction in the second to see out a 6-3, 6-4 win. Alexander Zverev then continued Team Europe’s dominance with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (6-8), 10-5 victory, before Tsitsipas teamed up with Andrey Rublev in the final match of the day to subdue John Isner and Kyrgios 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 10-4.
With each win on day two worth two points, double the value of the opening day’s matches, Team Europe’s lead now stands at 11-1. It leaves Team World requiring four wins from four matches on the final day, when each match will be worth three points.