Ruud beats Paul to give Europe first points at Laver Cup

VANCOUVER, Canada -- Casper Ruud put Team Europe on the board at the Laver Cup on Saturday, beating Tommy Paul 7-6 (8/6), 6-2 to halt defending champion Team World's five-match win streak to start the event.

A day-one sweep on Friday saw captain John McEnroe's Team World seize a 4-0 lead, and American Taylor Fritz pushed that to 6-0 with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Europe's top-ranked player, world number six Andrey Rublev.

Ruud's victory made it 6-2, but the Norwegian ranked ninth in the world, admitted he felt the pressure as he took the court -- and said he got a little lucky to win a first-set tiebreaker in which he saved a set-point at 6-5.

"A bit of a steal maybe that tiebreak, 5-6 down and a big serve and a couple of big points," he said. "Hopefully it can be somewhat of a momentum shift."

Having snatched the first set, Ruud opened the second with a break. With Paul struggling to find a way to break down the Norwegian's serve, Ruud broke again with a blistering service return to take a 5-2 lead and served it with a love game.

"Game on, baby," he told the Rogers Arena crowd bathed in Team Europe's blue light.

Eighth-ranked American Fritz had rallied from a break down in the second set to notch Team World's fifth straight victory.

His aggressive ground strokes were much in evidence, but a pair of deft half-volleys -- one to give himself a game point for 6-6 and another in the tiebreaker -- also stood out in a victory that pushed the World lead to 6-0.

"I was telling my team, I feel like I've always been much better at the 'handsy' half-volley pick-ups and stuff," Fritz said, adding that he thought he was more likely to miss the easier volleys.

Fritz had opened the match with a service break and cruised through the