Curse of the Laver Cup? Upsets abound in Tokyo
Five of the six Laver Cup players competing in Tokyo lost in the first round
Frances Tiafoe (Chryslene Caillaud/Panoramic)
Laver Cup players are dropping like flies in Tokyo, with the majority of those in action at the Japan Open getting upset on Thursday, including top seed Taylor Fritz and the in-form Frances Tiafoe.
There has been plenty of talk the past fortnight about scheduling on the ATP Tour, and the unfair burden it puts on athletes’ bodies and minds. Carlos Alcaraz said, “they are going to kill us”, while Alexander Zverev said, “the health of the players is being put at risk”.
And yet, many of the world’s top players opted to play at the Laver Cup in Berlin last week. Now, they are paying the price for their hypocrisy, as all but one of the six players who competed at the Laver Cup have already crashed out of the ATP 500 event in Tokyo.
First it was Stefanos Tsitsipas, who went down 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 to young Alex Michelsen, a qualifier in Tokyo. Then, Tiafoe and Alejandro Tabilo fell on the same court, with the American going down 7-5, 6-3 to Brandon Nakashima, and Holger Rune getting the better of Tabilo 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
Over on the main court, top seed Fritz crashed out at the hands of Arthur Fils – who also defeated top seed Zverev at the Hamburg Open earlier this year – losing 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. A few hours later, third seed Casper Ruud fell to in-form Aussie Jordan Thompson, 7-6 (5), 6-1.
Only Ben Shelton survived the Laver Cup curse on Thursday in Tokyo. The defending champion, who won his first title at this event last year, outlasted compatriot Reilly Opelka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to book his spot in the round of 16.
Time will tell if these results are coincidence, or a reflection of players being unable to make the switch well from Laver Cup action to the Asian swing.
On Friday in Beijing, Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz will be hoping the phenomenon is a Tokyo-only one, as the pair get their China Open campaigns underway against Gael Monfils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, respectively.
Francisco Cerundolo is also in action in China, playing dangerous teen Jakub Mensik for a spot in the second round.
