Great Britain’s Dan Evans and Davis Cup captain Leon Smith reflect on the 3-2 semi-final defeat by Argentina, saying it has been a “difficult day” for the team.
MATCH REPORT AND HIGHLIGHTS
Leonardo Mayer beats Dan Evans as Argentina saw off a thrilling comeback from defending champions Great Britain to win their semi-final 3-2.
WATCH MORE: Andy Murray beats Guido Pella – five great shots
Great Britain Davis Cup captain Leon Smith said he was “extremely proud” of his team after the 3-2 semi-final defeat by Argentina in Glasgow.
Britain hit back from 2-0 down to force a decider, but Leonardo Mayer beat Dan Evans 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 to seal victory.
It ended a seven-tie winning run that included last year’s final – Britain’s first Davis Cup triumph for 79 years.
“We’ve had an unbelievable run in this competition over the last couple of years,” Smith told BBC Radio 5 live.
“I don’t think people would have mapped that out a few years ago, what the team has achieved, so I’m extremely proud of them.”
It was only the third defeat in 17 ties stretching back to 2010, when Smith took charge for a lowly Group 2 Europe/Africa relegation play-off against Turkey.
Andy Murray won 11 points as he led the side to the title in 2015, but Britain achieved their first World Group win without him when they beat Serbia in July.
With Kyle Edmund, now ranked 55, and Evans, who is at a career-high 53, Smith is less reliant on the combination of Murray and a strong doubles team.
“That’s a big plus,” said Smith. “I’ve been saying for a while the most important thing is what the players are doing on a week-by-week basis.
“To have singles players in the draws at ATP 500s, Masters Series, main draw of Grand Slams… it’s much, much better. So when we do get together for Davis Cup we now have better depth. Long may that continue.”
Murray, the world number two, will remain the lynchpin for any immediate hopes of another Davis Cup success but says he is in need of a break.
The 29-year-old, who has enjoyed a hugely successful summer that included victories at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games, felt the effects of a gruelling season in the latter stages of Sunday’s win over Guido Pella.
“I’ve never really had any muscle injuries before,” said Murray. “That was worrying for me and thankfully I managed to get it done in straight sets. I was still moving okay, but when you get pain in your body it distracts you.”
Murray is scheduled to return in Beijing next month, while Britain will learn their 2017 first-round opponents at the Davis Cup draw on Wednesday.
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent:
“Britain’s hopes of winning back to back titles for the first time since the 1930s were ended by the better team.
“Three different players won singles points for Argentina, with only the Murray brothers contributing for Britain. That was ultimately the difference.”
CROATIA 3, FRANCE 1
Venue: Kresimir Cosic Hall, Zadar, CRO (hard – indoor)
World No. 11 Marin Cilic was the hero for Croatia on Sunday, sending the Eastern European nation into its second Davis Cup Final. Cilic, who won both his singles rubbers and teamed with Ivan Dodig to take Saturday’s doubles clash, clinched the tie 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 over Richard Gasquet.
Croatia defeated France 3-1 to return to the Davis Cup Final for the first time in 11 years, when Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic guided them to their lone title in 2005. They became the first unseeded nation to win the title then and will look to replicate the feat this year against either Great Britain or Argentina.
“When you look at the atmosphere, it’s an incredible feeling,” said Cilic. “It’s been a dream weekend for us. I played incredible tennis. I produced a great performance for all the crowd. I can’t be more proud than right now.
“We have always been playing well in Davis Cup. It’s something that’s in your heart. If we can play the final at home it would be an amazing spectacle.”
On Sunday, Cilic was dominant on the fast hard court in Zadar. He sealed the tie with forehand approach winner into the open court after two hours and 14 minutes. In total, the 27 year old fired 21 winners, including 14 aces, while converting six of nine break chances.
Cilic levels the FedEx ATP Head2Head against Gasquet at 2-2, having dropped their first two encounters. The Croatian has since won two in a row this year, including a three-set victory at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He has been on a tear in recent months, after reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals and claiming his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati.
GREAT BRITAIN 2, ARGENTINA 2
Venue: Emirates Arena, Glasgow, GBR (hard – indoor)
Andy Murray has put Great Britain on the brink of a historic comeback on the indoor hard court at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. The Brit routed Argentina’s Guido Pella 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to force a deciding fifth rubber on Sunday. Murray rebounded nicely after suffering his first home defeat in Davis Cup singles on Friday (l. to Del Potro), ending a 20-match win streak.
“It feels great,” said Murray. “We were in a lot of trouble a few days ago, but this is the best we can hope for. I hope we can get the job done.”
Great Britain will turn to Daniel Evans to complete the 0-2 comeback, while Argentina counters with Leonardo Mayer. It will be a tough task, with Mayer owning a 10-3 singles record in Davis Cup play and coming off title run at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Manerbio, Italy less than a month ago.
Evans enters in strong form as well, after claiming a Challenger title of his own in Aptos, U.S.A. in early August and pushing eventual champion Stan Wawrinka to five sets in the US Open third round.
Evans is bidding to secure just the 11th comeback from 0-2 down in World Group history. The defending champion Brits are also seeking to capture their seventh consecutive tie victory.
The chairman of Tennis Scotland hopes to build 10 new indoor tennis facilities in order to leave a lasting legacy from the success of brothers Andy and Jamie Murray.
Blane Dodds intends to submit plans to various funding partners for two new indoor facilities to be created in each of the next five years.
“We need more facilities,” Dodds told BBC Scotland.
“We need more outdoor courts but we need to prioritise indoor courts.”
Dodds is adamant that, unless new facilities are built, the sport will fail to capitalise on the rise of tennis memberships across Scotland, and a rise in people playing the game on the back of the Murray brothers’ profile.
The Murrays have won six Grand Slam titles between them – Andy’s in singles, Jamie’s in doubles – as well as Olympic medals and a Davis Cup.
One of the proposed new developments is their mother Judy Murray’s Bridge of Allan tennis and golf facility at Park of Keir, which is currently being examined by the Scottish Government, after it was denied local planning permission.
Dodds wants funding for nine other new tennis facilities around the country, including the north of Scotland, which he feels is particularly poorly served when it comes to places to play.
“They [Andy and Jamie Murray] have given us a great opportunity,” Dodds added.
“There has been growth in the game over the last few years and that is testament to what the Murrays have done. The memberships in all our clubs have increased from 30,000 to about 56,000, but it’s not enough, we need to do more.”
Watch highlights as Andy Murray beats Guido Pella 6-3 6-2 6-3 to level Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie against Argentina at 2-2.
READ MORE: Murray beats Pella in straight sets
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Dan Evans will play Leonardo Mayer in a Davis Cup decider after Andy Murray brought Great Britain level against Argentina in the semi-final in Glasgow.
Murray beat Guido Pella 6-3 6-2 6-3 to level the tie at 2-2, after Saturday’s doubles victory with brother Jamie.
Juan Martin del Potro beat Murray in Friday’s opening match, but misses the reverse singles as he continues to make his way back from serious injury.
Evans steps in for Kyle Edmund to make his first appearance in the tie.
The 26-year-old from Solihull is ranked 61 places higher than Mayer at 53 in the world, but the Argentine reached a career high of 21 last year and has a 10-3 record in Davis Cup singles matches.
Murray suffered an injury scare in the third set of his win over Pella and was off court for eight minutes as he received treatment on his thigh, but the Scot returned to clinch victory.
“It is great to level the tie,” said Murray, who had played eight hours of tennis in two days heading into Sunday’s match.
“We were in lot of trouble a couple of days ago but this is the best we could have hoped for. Now Dan has got a chance to go out and get the job done.
“I have a lot of sharp pain in my right quad. I have to go and see what’s up and get some treatment. I need a break. I have played so much tennis, my body needs some rest.”
Hiroki Moriya ended a four-match skid in style, streaking to the title at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Nanchang, China. The Tecnifibre player did not drop a set before rallying to defeat fourth seed Hyeon Chung 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday.
Moriya was appearing in his first final in more than two years, when he claimed his maiden Challenger title on the hard courts of Granby, Canada in 2014. The 25-year-old Japanese is closing in on a return to the Top 150 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, rising more than 50 spots to a projected World No. 166.
“I didn’t expect to win the championship here when I got to Nanchang,” said Moriya. “I fought for every match and I am very happy with my performance this week. This is my second visit here in Nanchang and I love this city and now I have some nice memories to share with my family.”
It marks the second straight week a Tecnifibre player has won a title, following Daniil Medvedev’s victory in Saint-Remy, France. Medvedev is vying for $50,000 in the Young Guns On The Road competition. Learn More
Meanwhile, #NextGen star Chung was appearing in his first tournament in four months after suffering an abdominal injury. He is looking to return to the Top 100 after falling to No. 145.
Morocco Tennis Tour Meknes (Meknes, Morocco): Maximilian Marterer won his first ATP Challenger Tour title on Saturday in Meknes, defeating Uladzimir Ignatik 7-6(3), 6-3 in 90 minutes. The eighth seed was dominant all week, not dropping a set, while saving an impressive 22 of 23 break points faced. He is the seventh different player from Germany to lift a trophy this year, joining Florian Mayer, Tobias Kamke, Michael Berrer, Mischa Zverev, Dustin Brown and Jan-Lennard Struff.
| Davis Cup semi-final, Great Britain v Argentina |
|---|
| Venue: Emirates Arena, Glasgow Dates: 16-18 September |
| Sunday coverage: Live on BBC One, online, social media & radio from 12:45 BST. |
Great Britain must win both singles matches against Argentina on Sunday to extend their reign as Davis Cup holders and reach a second final in 12 months.
Andy and Jamie Murray won Saturday’s doubles contest, but Argentina lead 2-1 going into the last day of the best-of-five tie in Glasgow.
Andy Murray is scheduled to face Guido Pella at 13:00 BST, followed by Kyle Edmund against Juan Martin del Potro.
However, team captains can change their nominations up to an hour before play.
GB skipper Leon Smith could choose to bring Dan Evans in for Edmund, should Murray beat Pella and force a decisive fifth match.
And there is a question mark over the involvement of Del Potro, who was a surprise inclusion in the doubles after his gruelling five-hour match with Andy Murray on Friday.
Del Potro hinted after the doubles that he might not play on Sunday, should a fifth and final rubber be required.
“I have to be smart,” said Del Potro. “I want to play for more years not just one more match.”
Andy Murray is clearly fatigued after a gruelling summer but hopes he has enough energy left to produce a win to keep GB’s hopes alive.
The 29-year-old Scot said: “Whether I win or not, I don’t know, but I can definitely guarantee I’ll give my best effort and hopefully I can.
“I’ll be tired and I have to accept that and deal with it and try to play the match on my terms if possible.”
Speaking about the doubles success, he added: “I didn’t know how I was going to feel when I woke up.
“I saw my physio this morning and he checked some of the things he checks if I’m not feeling great or if I’m tired, and he said I was looking decent.
“It was tough, obviously. In doubles there’s not as much running but you need to be very sharp.”
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent:
“Juan Martin del Potro’s appearance on the doubles court was a huge surprise, given Argentina’s position in the tie, and it may turn out to be his last match of the week.
“Both del Potro and Andy Murray have now spent eight hours and two minutes on court in Glasgow, and although mind games are often an important ingredient, Del Potro has hinted quite strongly he may not play on Sunday should a fifth and final rubber be required.
“The travelling Argentine media are inclined to take his words at face value – and suspect he won’t play.
“Dan Evans is likely to play in any fifth match for GB – but that will only be necessary if an equally exhausted Murray can first beat Guido Pella, who will be feeling a lot, lot fresher.”