Dominant victory for Shelton over Arthur Fils in Laver Cup gives Team World the edge

Ben Shelton defeated Arthur Fils in straight sets, 7-6(4), 6-1, securing the first point of the Laver Cup for Team World.

A showdown between young tennis talents kicked off the Laver Cup, featuring 19-year-old world No. 44 Arthur Fils against world No. 19 Ben Shelton. Both players displayed impeccable serving skills in the opening set and held their service games with ease.

In the first six games, Shelton didn't concede a single point on his serve, while Fils only gave away one point in the fifth game, which posed no threat to his service hold.

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Although both players managed to apply pressure to their opponent's serves in the latter part of the set, neither could muster a break point opportunity, leading to a tie-break. Despite Fils taking an early lead by securing a mini-break and going up 4-1, Shelton mounted a comeback and won the next six points, including two on Fils' serve, ultimately taking the set 7-6(4).

The second set saw Shelton exhibiting a stronger performance in his return game. While both players held their serves in the first two games to make it 1-1, Shelton then hit his stride, displaying aggression as he won the next five consecutive games, including two breaks, to close out the match with a score of 7-6(4), 6-1 in just one hour and 19 minutes.

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The North American showcased the high level of play that had propelled him to the semifinals of the US Open. He achieved a 73% first-serve accuracy, winning 84% of those points, and a 63% success rate on second serves.

Moreover, Shelton didn't offer a single break point opportunity to his opponent and secured 31% of his return points off Fils' first serves and 44% off the second serves.

In the second match, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (25th) of Team Europe will face off against Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo (21st), who will aim to secure the second point for Team World.