San Diego’s Brandon Nakashima made the most of his Laver Cup debut Friday, earning Team World’s first point of the 2026 competition with a 6-1, 3-6, [10-7] victory over Team Europe’s Jakub Mensik at London’s O2 Arena.

A late addition to Team World after US Open finalist Ben Shelton withdrew, Nakashima had just days to prepare for his debut. The 25-year-old Southern Californian entered the event ranked inside the top 20, riding a breakthrough season that has brought him to a career-high ranking.

His debut also comes as part of a larger Southern California presence on Team World. Taylor Fritz, Nakashima, and Learner Tien are all representing the region in London, marking a notable moment for a Southern California tennis pipeline that has produced generations of top players.

“It’s amazing to see,” Nakashima said of having three Southern Californians on the team. “I’ve always felt that Southern California has a bunch of very high level junior players coming up and the competition level is always really high. It’s really nice to see all three of us representing that part of the United States. I always enjoy going back there.”

“Taylor was always a little bit older than me, so in the juniors, we didn’t really play or practice that much. Learner is a lot younger than me,” he added. “But we see each other on the tour all the all the time.”

Fritz, who hails from Rancho Santa Fe, echoed that connection, noting that he and Nakashima are from the same city and that he has trained with Tien since Tien was 15.

“There’s a lot of guys coming out of SoCal now, and it makes sense,” Fritz, 28, said.

Rising to the Occasion

Nakashima was training in Florida when he received the call from his agent.

“My agent called me, said that you got a spot on the team, and if you want to play, they would love to have you,” Nakashima said during his post-match press conference. “Obviously it was not much to think about. It was a quick yes from me, super excited about it, and really happy just to be a part of the team and be part of this event, as well… It’s been a lot of fun so far.”

His first assignment was Mensik, whom he defeated earlier this summer in Washington, 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4, en route to the semifinals.

There was little indication of nerves from Nakashima on Friday. He raced through the opening set 6-1 in just 23 minutes, winning the first five games as Mensik struggled to find an answer.

Mensik responded in the second set, raising his level and finding his forehand to force a decisive 10-point match tiebreak.

Cool Under Pressure

The tiebreak remained tight, with Mensik taking a 6-4 lead before Nakashima fought back. He regained the mini break at 8-7, earned another at 9-7, and closed out the 10-7 victory to level Team World with Team Europe at 1-1.

“I was trying not to think about it too much,” Nakashima said of the match tiebreak. “Obviously there was some nerves in that third set breaker, but tried to just focus on what I needed to do out there, focus on what I do best, and just try to fight for every point.”

Team World Vice Captain Patrick Rafter praised Nakashima’s composure and tactical awareness.

“I think the guy’s so dialed in, and I’m pretty sure he’s reading the play, as well. I’m going, ‘Hang on, is he actually seeing this sort of thing happening, these patterns? I think he is.’ But he just sort of goes about his business. He’s just one of those professionals that doesn’t need that much information, by the looks of him. Probably the best thing for Andre and I to do is just shut up.”

The support from the Team World bench was also part of Nakashima’s experience in his first Laver Cup appearance.

“They were kind of just telling me to keep hitting through my shots, keep kind of doing the same patterns as I was doing,” Nakashima said. “Having their advice all the time has really been great.”

For Nakashima, the moment was about more than simply making his Laver Cup debut. Playing in front of a nearly full London crowd and putting Team World on the board made the experience even more memorable.

“It felt amazing out there. First of all, playing in front of the London crowd was amazing, almost a full stadium, and then, you know, being able to go out there and put a point on the board for the team and for the guys is an unbelievable experience for me,” Nakashima said.

Team World Gets on the Board

Nakashima’s victory came after Team Europe opened the competition with a tightly contested win from Casper Ruud, who defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-7(4), 6-4, [10-8].

Ruud and Cerundolo also met in the opening match of the 2024 Laver Cup, when Cerundolo won 6-4, 6-4 to hand Ruud his only singles loss in Laver Cup play. Two years later, Ruud came back from a set down to earn Europe’s first point.

In the evening session, Rafael Jodar put Team Europe back in front with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Alexander Bublik. In the final match of the evening, Carlos Alcaraz and Mensik defeated Southern California’s own Taylor Fritz and Bublik 4-6, 4-6 in doubles, giving Team Europe a 3-1 lead after day one.

The three day Laver Cup features four matches each day. Matches are worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday, and three points on Sunday, with the first team to reach 13 points winning the competition.

Team Europe has captured the Laver Cup five times, while Team World claimed its third title at last year’s event.

For Nakashima, his first Laver Cup appearance added another milestone to a season already filled with them. Called upon at the last minute, the San Diego native stepped onto one of tennis’ biggest stages and delivered when Team World needed him most. 

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