The 2023 Laver Cup will get underway on Friday in Vancouver, where the festivities begin with Ben Shelton going up against Arthur Fils. Night-session action includes a matchup between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gael Monfils.
Ben Shelton (World) vs. Arthur Fils (Europe)
It will be a battle between rising stars and a preview of the upcoming NextGen ATP Finals when Shelton and Fils get the 2023 Laver Cup started on Friday afternoon in Vancouver. Shelton’s meteoric surge up the rankings to No. 19 has been almost entirely due to his success on the big stage. The 20-year-old American reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and then made a run to the U.S. Open semis.
Fils has climbed to 44th in the world thanks to a string of consistent results. All 14 of his main-tour match wins have come this season, highlighted by a title on the clay courts of Lyon. The 19-year-old Frenchman is quite clearly an all-court player, but facing Shelton on an indoor hard court probably isn’t an ideal scenario. Shelton loves this kind of spotlight and he thrived in team competition while playing college tennis at Florida, with a team championship and an individual singles title. He should be able to get Team World on the board first.
Pick: Shelton in 2
Felix Auger-Aliassime (World) vs. Gael Monfils (Europe)
Auger-Aliassime needs to get back on track in the worst way. Will the Laver Cup be just what the doctor ordered? It’s possible, as the 23-year-old Canadian upset Novak Djokovic last year in London to help Team World lift the trophy for the first time ever. This marks Auger-Aliassime’s third appearance in the Laver Cup.
Friday’s night-session singles match pits Auger-Aliassime against Monfils, who is making his tournament debut. Armed with a rare clean bill of health, the 37-year-old Frenchman won multiple matches at three consecutive hard-court events this summer before falling to Team Europe teammate Andrey Rublev in the U.S. Open second round. Monfils is in much better form than the current world No. 14, so he should get the job done as long as he treats this at least somewhat like a real match as opposed to an exhibition.
Pick: Monfils in 2
Djokovic fans are picking Fils
2 fun matches: Shelton in 3; Monf in 3.
Gael doesn’t get what ‘fun’ is — doing nothing for his legacy
“Djokovic fans are picking Fils”
Djokovic fans couldn’t care less about overhyped Laver Cup.