The first annual Laver Cup begins on Friday, with Team Europe going up against Team World in Prague, Czech Republic. Day 1 singles matchups include Marin Cilic vs. Frances Tiafoe, Dominic Thiem vs. John Isner, and Alexander Zverev vs. Denis Shapovalov.
Marin Cilic (Europe) vs. Frances Tiafoe (World)
Cilic and Tiafoe will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers (unofficially, as this will not count in official records) when they kick off the Laver Cup on Friday afternoon on the indoor hard court of the O2 Arena in Prague. When healthy, Cilic has been outstanding of late. The fifth-ranked Croat finished runner-up to Roger Federer at Wimbledon before not playing again until the U.S. Open due to an adductor injury. He advanced two rounds in New York and recently dominated a pair of Davis Cup singles rubbers against Colombia. Tiafoe, who pushed a hobbled Federer to five sets at the U.S. Open, replaced Juan Martin Del Potro on the Team World roster for this weekend’s festivities. The 72nd-ranked American may be a bit out of his league here, and it would be understandable if he tries just a little too hard to prove that he belongs.
Pick: Cilic in 2
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Dominic Thiem (Europe) vs. John Isner (World)
On paper, Team World is a considerable underdog. Isner is its second highest-ranked player (just one spot behind Sam Querrey at No. 17), but he would be the No.6 player on Team Europe. The 6’10” American will have to be one of the leaders for his squad, starting with a Friday afternoon showdown against Thiem. They have split two previous encounters, as Thiem prevailed 7-6(5), 6-3 on the red clay of Nice in 2015 before Isner got the job done 7-5, 6-1 later that season in Beijing. Both players recently wasted big opportunities in New York. The seventh-ranked Austrian squandered a two-set lead over Del Potro in the fourth round, while Isner–in a wide-open bottom half of the draw–got crushed by Mischa Zverev in the third round. Overall, though, Isner enjoyed another productive summer on the U.S. hard courts. On this surface he should have a great chance against Thiem; that, of course, would not be the case on clay.
Pick: Isner in 3
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Alexander Zverev (Europe) vs. Denis Shapovalov (World)
It will be a battle between two rising stars when Zverev and Shapovalov square off on Friday night. Whereas Zverev is the far more established of the pair, it is Shapovalov who has taken the tour by storm in recent months. The 18-year-old Canadian made a run to the Montreal semifinals with an upset of Rafael Nadal in the process, qualified for the U.S. Open main draw, and ousted Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to the fourth round. It was none other than Zverev who ended Shapovalov’s breakout week in Montreal, beating the crowd favorite 6-4, 7-5. The 20-year-old German, who is already up to No. 4 in the world, will be eager to make amends for his loss to another up-and-comer–Borna Coric–in round two of the U.S. Open. He surely will not treat this as any kind of exhibition.
Pick: Zverev in 2
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