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Match three: Evans & Skupski vs Mahut & Roger-Vasselin 1-6, 7-6(4) (in progress)
Great Britain earned a much needed lifeline in the deciding doubles rubber against France, as Dan Evans and Neal Skupski levelled the scores at 1-6, 7-6(4) against Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
The Brits looked amped up having set up break points on a lengthy first service game from Mahut, but once they held, the French team remained solid throughout.
Dominating the net and picking off perfect returns against the British duo, they won the last five consecutive games to move one set away from a ticket to Malaga this November.
After a nervy opening set, the Brits quickly settled into the second. While they still couldn’t find the breakthrough on the French team’s serve, it was back to business as usual on theirs – winning 23 of 25 points on first serve.
Evans and Skupski found the extra level in the tie-break. A pair of winners from the former world No.1 put the Brits 6-3 to the good and as Roger-Vasselin’s forehand sailed long, Evans and Skupski bounced off to the bench, celebrating with the crowd.
Match two: Humbert edges Norrie at the death to force decider
Ugo Humbert levelled the scores for France – coming through with a 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-5 win over Cam Norrie in two hours and 46 minutes to send the match to a doubles decider.
After the thrills and spills of the first match of the day, Norrie and Humbert’s contest looked set to become far more of a chess match right from the off. With just one break point between them in a tight opening set, the pair stayed on serve through to a tie-break.
As the error count continued to rise to just shy of 50 between the two – Humbert held his nerve in the bigger moments. Norrie battled back from 6-2 down to 6-5 in the tie-break, but another wayward backhand into tramlines gave Humbert the early set lead.
The British No.1 had the bit between his teeth at the start of the second. Early signs indicated a change in fortune for Norrie as a couple of poor backhand errors from the Frenchman gave him the initial break, before eventually taking a 3-0 lead and seeing off three break points to win the set.
A battle of fine margins came right down to the wire. With the pressure of the tie weighing on both their shoulders, both players missing chances to break. Humbert got the hold at 5-5, giving Norrie the task of serving to send it to a deciding tie-break, but in the end it proved one game too far for the Brit. Two groundstrokes fired long, accompanied by a double fault on match point, sealed a crucial victory for France.
Match one: Evans claims statement win to put Brits in front
Dan Evans produced an incredible performance in the opening match of the tie to come back from a set and a break down to beat 19-year-old French starlet 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and three minutes.
“There’s something about the Davis Cup,” he said. “It’s never just simple. It’s an amazing crowd, there’s so many here so thank you – you really helped me through.”
The win gives the Brits a one match lead in a must-win tie if they are to reach the Davis Cup Final 8.
Making his debut for the French team, Fils was extremely on serve in the opening set – hitting four aces and winning 88% (14/16) points off the first serve – and at times overpowered the Brit. The Frenchman’s relentless barrage of attack against the Brit’s serve eventually paid off as he reeled off three consecutive games to finish the set.
Fils took an early break lead in the second and looked set to see out the win, but the British No.2 showed every ounce of his grit and determination to inspire an immense comeback. At the first flicker of a chance on the Frenchman’s serve and Evans seized it with open arms. Four errors from Fils gave Evans the break back, which sent the 13,000 strong capacity crowd into a frenzy as the young French star showed the first signs of pressure.
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