Inglot/Murray Win Crucial Third Davis Cup Rubber

GREAT BRITAIN 2, UZBEKISTAN 1
Glasgow, Great Britain (Indoor hard)

After splitting the honours in Friday singles play, Great Britain took a 2-1 lead over Uzbekistan with a four-set victory in doubles on Saturday. Dominic Inglot and Jamie Murray were one point from a two-set deficit at 4-6, 6-6 (7/8) against Sanjar Fayziev and Denis Istomin, before winning three straight points and cruising to a 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-2, 6-3 win.

Inglot and Murray fired 13 aces and saved four of five break points during the two hour, 54-minute contest. The 2015 champion moves one point from victory ahead of Sunday’s reverse singles, with Cameron Norrie scheduled to face Istomin to clinch the tie.

JAPAN 3, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA 0
Osaka, Japan (Outdoor hard)

After earning a 2-0 lead on Friday, Japan confirmed victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Osaka. Ben McLachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama added to Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka’s straight-sets wins with a three-set triumph of their own, defeating Tomislav Brkic and Nerman Fatic 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.

SERBIA 3, INDIA 0
Kraljevo, Serbia (Indoor clay)

Serbia matched Japan’s success, completing a 3-0 sweep of its own to overcome India. Nikola Milojevic and Danilo Petrovic landed 31 winners to edge Rohan Bopanna and Saketh Myneni 7-6(5), 6-2, 7-6(4).

AUSTRIA 2, AUSTRALIA 1
Graz, Austria (Outdoor clay)

Lleyton Hewitt and John Peers kept Australia’s hopes of an away win alive in Graz, beating Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. The Australian duo won 86 per cent of first-serve points (63/73) and saved three of four break points in the three-hour, 12-minute third rubber.

HUNGARY 2, CZECH REPUBLIC 1
Budapest, Hungary (Outdoor clay)

Hungary moved 2-1 ahead of the Czech Republic in Budapest after Gabor Borsos and Peter Nagy came from two sets down to beat Roman Jebavy and Lukas Rosol. Borsos and Nagy needed three hours and 16 minutes to complete a stunning comeback victory at home, edging the Czech pairing 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

SWITZERLAND 1, SWEDEN 2
Biel, Switzerland (Indoor hard)

Sweden also takes a 2-1 advantage into Sunday’s reverse singles encounters following Markus Eriksson and Robert Lindstedt’s 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win over Antoine Bellier and Luca Margaroli. Eriksson and Lindstedt held each of their 13 service games, saving all three break points they faced en route to victory.

ARGENTINA 3, COLOMBIA 0
San Juan, Argentina (Indoor clay)

Argentina turned up the drama meter to complete a 3-0 rout of Colombia on Saturday. One day after Guido Pella needed five sets to claim the second singles rubber, Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos also went the distance. The duo defeated Alejandro Gomez and Cristian Rodriguez 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-4 in four hours and three minutes. They turned aside 10 of 12 break points faced to give the South American nation the unassailable victory.

CANADA 2, NETHERLANDS 1
Toronto, Canada (Indoor hard)

It was the end of an era. Former doubles No. 1 Daniel Nestor played his final professional match, teaming with Vasek Pospisil in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Matwe Middelkoop and Jean-Julien Rojer. Having represented Canada for 25 years in Davis Cup, Nestor was contesting his 46 doubles rubber.

Middelkoop and Rojer kept the Dutch hopes alive with the two-hour and 34-minute victory. They denied five of six break chances, while striking 41 total winners. The European nation will turn to Robin Haase to extend the tie to a deciding rubber. He faces Milos Raonic in what will be their first meeting in five years.