Isner and Shapovalov salvage point for Team World on Day 1 of Laver Cup

With Team World facing a 0-3 deficit entering the final match on the first day of the Laver Cup, the duo of John Isner and Denis Shapovalov had no choice but to deliver as they defeated the Team Europe pairing of Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini.

Isner and Shapovalov overcame losing the first set to escape with a 4-6 7-6(2) 10-1 victory, preventing the Europeans from achieving a clean sweep after they had prevailed in all three singles matches earlier in the day.

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Zverev and Berrettini were impressive in the first set, relying on their big serves and return game to break their North American opponents and claim the first set. However, the Isner/Shapovalov combo steered ship back on track in the second set as the towering American was spectacular on serve, in addition to making some spectacular volleys. Although they squandered a break when serving for the set at 5-4, Team World had enough momentum to race through the second set tiebreak, forcing a match tiebreaker.

It was here that the North American's service acumen was on display, as they gave their opponents little hope of keeping any balls in play. Furthermore, the duo, with Isner in particular, were exceptional on return points, racing to obtain a 6-0 lead in a matter of minutes. Team World finally got on the scoreboard as the unlikely duo closed out the match with ease, reducing Team Europe's advantage to just 3-1 by the end of the day's proceedings.

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