Murrays' Heroics Keep Brits Afloat; Croatia Edges Ahead

GREAT BRITAIN 1, ARGENTINA 2
Venue: Emirates Arena, Glasgow, GBR (hard – indoor)

Defending champion Great Britain kept their Davis Cup title defence alive behind a strong performance from Andy Murray and Jamie Murray in Saturday’s doubles action. The Murrays turned aside Juan Martin del Potro and Leonardo Mayer 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, giving the Brits hope for a stunning comeback from 0-2 down.

Andy, who was defeated by Del Potro in a five-set thriller in Friday’s singles at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, got his revenge on the Argentine. He and brother Jamie notched the win after two hours and 55 minutes, converting five of 13 break points, while firing 44 total winners.

“The atmosphere was brilliant,” said Jamie. “From the first point to the last, the crowd was something else. As I said on the court, it’s a huge privilege to be able to play with Andy in Scotland and have that amount of support behind us.

“We played a great match, we had to. Those guys were playing really well too. We knew they weren’t going to shy away from the occasion and the atmosphere. I think we should be really proud of the way we played and competed from start to finish. It gives us momentum going into tomorrow’s matches.”

The Murrays have now won five straight doubles matches together in Davis Cup play, going back to last year’s quarter-finals. The British stalwarts converted their first match point, breaking Mayer’s serve to love in the final game.

Great Britain are seeking to become the 11th team to come back from 0-2 down in the World Group and record their seventh straight tie victory. They will turn to Murray and either Daniel Evans or #NextGen star Kyle Edmund to provide the heroics on Sunday.

CROATIA 2, FRANCE 1
Venue: Kresimir Cosic Hall, Zadar, CRO (hard – indoor)

Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, the No. 1 team in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London, were no match for Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig, as the Croatians claimed Saturday’s crucial doubles rubber 7-6(6), 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-3 in Zadar.

Croatia leads France 2-1, with Cilic set to play a blockbuster reverse singles rubber against Richard Gasquet on Sunday. A win would send the Eastern European squad into just its second Davis Cup final. Croatia became the first unseeded nation to win the title in 2005, when it defeated Slovakia 3-2.

Cilic and Dodig prevailed on Saturday after three hours and 47 minutes. The tandem withstood an offensive onslaught from their top-ranked opponents, who fired 12 aces and 44 total winners. But the Croatians were clutch when it mattered, staving off five of six break points.

After saving a set point in taking the third set in a tie-break, Cilic and Dodig claimed the decisive break in the third game of the fourth and would seal the match with a break to love. The team ticked their second straight victory over an decorated duo, following a four-set upset of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in July’s quarter-final win over the United States.