Ruthless Ruud stops Sock's comeback at Laver Cup to give Team Europe 1-0 lead
ATP
Jack Sock and Casper Ruud were the first two players picked to compete at the 2022 Laver Cup, and their match certainly didn't disappoint.
World No. 2 and two-time Grand Slam finalist in 2022 was certainly a favorite against Team World's World No. 128, who is mainly a doubles specialist at this stage of his career.
And that certainly showed at the start of the match when Ruud won the first three games to gain a decisive advantage. At 5-3, the Norwegian was serving for the set, but he got broken back, and it seemed that the first set would need to be decided in a tie-break.
Yet, Ruud showed why he played two Grand Slam finals this year and got his break back to win the first set 6-4. However, Sock is a former ATP World No. 8 in singles, and he showed that in the second set.
For the majority of the set, both players were really solid in their serve, and fans in London started thinking about a tie-break again. But the American won nine points in a row to secure a 7-5 win and the first championship tie-break of this year's Laver Cup.
If the score is tied after two sets, a match tie-break to 10 points is played, and that's what decided the first match between Team Europe and Team World.
Every player of the winning team is awarded 250,000€ despite no points being given and that's why both players showed their fighting spirit when battling it out in the match tie-break for the first point of the 2022 Laver Cup.
Sock started with an early mini-break, but he lost to his advantage after his opponent played a tweener lob that the American hit right into the net, and so the score was even again at 3-3.
And it was the overhead miss that seemed to be decisive in the match tie-break as Ruud shifted gears after that to win the match 6-4, 5-7, 10-7 and give Team Europe a 1-0 lead in the 2022 Laver Cup.
