[sirfredperry]

James Ward won in straight sets to give GB a 1-0 lead in the DC. Evans lost the first set 6-1 in the second tie but is 5-2 up in the second set. Amazingly, Ward was the first Brit to win a live singles rubber other than Henman, Rusedski and AM since 1997.

[tlimvvo2max]

One all now. Evans lost to Berankis in the fifth. Against a higher ranked player who's at home, no disgrace but still disappointing. GB really should win the doubles though.

[tlimvvo2max]

Nice to see Britain's Davis Cup achievements getting the attention they deserve here.

[Tenez]

Sorry Tlim but I can't even get excited about France v Germany.

[Dark_Necrofear™]

I was gonna say the same thing. Davis Cup is such a waste of time and this thread highlights how no one is interested.I have to be honest Im only interested in the Spain Switzerland encounter.

This post has been edited by Dark_Necrofear™: 06 March 2010 - 07:21 AM

[Dark_Necrofear™]

Serbia's Novak Djokovic secures Davis Cup lead over US



Novak Djokovic saw off Sam Querrey in four sets to put Serbia in command against the US after day one of their Davis Cup World Group tie in Belgrade.

The world number two gave his nation a 2-0 lead with a 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-3 victory in front of 20,000 spectators.

Viktor Troicki had earlier battled past John Isner 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-4 in a tight opening singles rubber.

Reigning champions Spain were held to 1-1 by Switzerland in Logrono, with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer absent.

The holders remained strong favourites on their preferred surface of clay despite being without Nadal, Fernando Verdasco and Juan Carlos Ferrero, but Stanislas Wawrinka gave the Swiss an early lead as he beat Nicolas Almagro 3-6 6-4 3-6 7-5 6-3.

David Ferrer then calmed Spanish nerves as he eased past Marco Chiudinelli 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 6-1.

Sweden and Argentina also shared the spoils on the opening day in Stockholm, with Robin Soderling beating Eduardo Schwank 6-1 7-6 (7-0) 7-5 before Leonardo Mayer saw off Joachim Johansson 5-7 6-3 7-5.

France, Russia, Croatia and the Czech Republic all moved within sight of the quarter-finals by taking 2-0 leads.

Djokovic needed five match points to finally secure a convincing lead for Serbia after three hours and 21 minutes.

"I expected a great fight and I had some fears in terms of my physical condition and the quick return to clay courts," he said.

"Querrey played better and better as the match progressed and he gave me a lot of trouble. Despite our big 2-0 lead, nothing is decided yet."

Chile begin their tie against Israel in Coquimbo on Saturday, a day late following the earthquake in the country.

http://news.bbc.co.u...nis/8550816.stm

[Dark_Necrofear™]

Defeat for Dan Evans leaves Britain and Lithuania level



Dan Evans lost a thrilling five-set match against Ricardas Berankis to leave Britain's Davis Cup tie against Lithuania poised at 1-1 after day one.

Evans, 19, fought hard in a high-quality encounter against a player ranked 52 places above him but lost 6-1 4-6 7-6 3-6 6-3 in Vilnius.

Earlier, James Ward enjoyed a perfect Davis Cup debut as he beat Laurynas Grigelis 6-4 6-2 6-4.

Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming carry Britain's doubles hopes on Saturday.

"I think it was a good today," GB captain John Lloyd told BBC Radio 5 live. "It could even have been better with Dan Evans coming so close but it showed a lot of things today.

"James knew that if he lost his match, the chances were we'd be down 2-0, so it was almost all on him and he came through very, very well.

"Dan was down a set, was getting absolutely blitzed and could easily have panicked but he dug in and played a fabulous match. So for me it was a good day, I learned a lot about their characters."

Lloyd's side are seeking their first Davis Cup win since September 2007 when they beat Croatia in Tim Henman's last match before retiring.

Since then, despite the efforts of world number four Andy Murray, Britain have lost four ties in a row and now find themselves in Europe/Africa Zone Group II for the first time since 1996.

Murray's decision to skip this tie in order to focus on winning his maiden Grand Slam title left Lloyd with an inexperienced squad, none of whom had tasted victory in a live Davis Cup match.

Ward put that record to bed in Friday's first singles match as he became the first British player apart from Henman, Murray and his part-time coach Greg Rusedski, to win a live singles rubber since Andrew Richardson in 1997.

However, Evans is still without a Davis Cup win.

The 19-year-old lost both his matches against Poland in September in straight sets but he put up a valiant fight against Berankis, who has risen 122 places in the world rankings this year.

"I was disappointed I didn't get the win in the end," Evans told 5 live.

"I think it bodes well for Sunday if I'm needed. I showed the other opponent what I'm about.

"Against Poland, I was a bit overwhelmed it's fair to say, but today I put everything I could on the court and he was a bit better than me."



The British number four made an awful start, losing the first 6-1, but hit back when the talented but erratic Berankis lost form in the second set.

Evans was then a break up in the third set before eventually losing it on a tie-break, and though he battled back again to ensure he played his first ever fifth set, the Birmingham teenager could not complete what would have been a hugely impressive comeback.

Ward, by contrast, enjoyed a comfortable day at the office as he got Britain off to the perfect start.

On a quick court at the Vitas Gerulaitis Tennis Centre, the 23-year-old showed few signs of nerves - until he came to serve out the first set at 5-4.

The world number 250, ranked 273 places above his 18-year-old opponent, had been serving excellently but three double faults in the game gave Grigelis hope.

Ward wasted a 40-0 lead and then had to save his first break point of the match before eventually taking the set at the sixth opportunity.

The 23-year-old then broke early in the second set before cruising to victory.

"You always need to have a few tight moments - that's what Davis Cup is all about - but I got through it and never looked back after that," Ward told 5 live.

"Greg [Rusedski] has helped me enormously. I can't thank the guy enough.

"I've been working a lot on my serve and first shot after the serve, coming to the net a little bit more. He's been really supportive."

The winner of the tie will face either Ireland or Turkey, with a relegation play-off for the losers.

"I'm looking forward to the doubles," said Lloyd. "Fleming and Skupski are a good team and with the opposition facing them we should up 2-1 by tomorrow night."

http://news.bbc.co.u...nis/8515155.stm

[tlimvvo2max]

I was mostly being ironic... sorry if it didn't show clearly enough.

I'm not very nationalistic at all and TBH even the most ardent GB fan would have to be very easily pleased to get excited at the prospect of edging a win over Lithuania.

It's a perennial debate but I tend to agree that unless you're ardently patriotic AND from a country that has a chance of success, the Davis Cup is very much a sideshow to the main events.

This post has been edited by tlimvvo2max: 06 March 2010 - 11:54 AM

[tlimvvo2max]

Actually I might watch today because it's Fleming and Skupski and I want to see if the excitement about them (at least within these shores) is warranted.

LTA streaming isn't working very well on my PC though.

Great venue, I can see that much - from this camera angle it looks as though they've put a couple of temporary stands up in a school sports hall.

[tlimvvo2max]

Well, Flemski have started as though they have in mind, 2-0 up in no time and looking sharp. But the live feed is far too jerky to watch unfortunately (I notice the LTA have a disclaimer on their site about its quality!).