Andy Murray brought Great Britain level with Belgium on Friday by taking down Ruben Bemelmans in straight sets.
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Belgium is seeking its first Davis Cup title, while Britain has not won the coveted team competition in 79 years.
ANDY Murray has the destiny of the Davis Cup exactly where he wants it – in his own hands.
The Davis Cup is played over three days, and features five matches (known as “rubbers”).
Two breaks of serve were enough for the 28-year-old Murray to pocket the first set against Bemelmans, and he broke again at the start of the second to stamp his authority on the rubber.
Bemelmans hit 15 of his 34 winners in the third set but could not keep the advantage as Murray surged late.
Goffin would eventually clinch the set and the match, running out as overall 3-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 victor.
But he blasted through the next two games to end the contest in style.
The third set was a different story as the atmosphere ramped up again and Murray found himself in hot water with umpire Carlos Ramos. Nevertheless, Murray is convinced that Britain can use this as a springboard for success. It might have been a very different picture had Edmund not wavered or had Goffin not switched the momentum so effectively in the third set of that opening rubber.
His 2015 results have been less spectacular, but he still comes into the Davis Cup final ranked world no. 16 after runner-up finishes in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Gstaad and reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon, which took him to a career-high ranking of world no. 14. “It will be a tough match but me and Jamie have played some good doubles before and hopefully we can do the same tomorrow”.
Edmund’s effort in his debut Davis Cup appearance was an impressive one, but it is Murray who, not for the first time, and not the last this weekend, continues to lead by example as soon as he dons the British colours.
“It was not easy”.
“I had one bad game, the first one of the match”, said Nadal, a two-time finalist at the season-ending tournament.
“It was hard for me to find my timing”.
“I knew if Kyle was playing like this, bravo, but if there was a small chance I had to take it”. He was really aggressive with his forehand.
Stung by the humiliating scoreline, Goffin clawed back three games, but could not prevent Edmund from sealing the opener with a thumping ace. “I think it will be important that the people get behind us when we’re winning, when we’re losing”.
“I gave it my best”.
Great Britain captain Leon Smith chose Beverley’s Edmund ahead of experienced campaigner James Ward, and it looked an inspired choice when the 20-year-old blasted his way to a two-set lead. He couldn’t get near me. As many predicted, it was one apiece after two rubbers with the all-important doubles rubber coming up as the determining key to this tie. “You feel like you’ve let them down”. My legs started cramping a bit. It was just disappointing that my body couldn’t hold up the way I would have liked it to.
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“Pushing off every time I was serving and landing, it was just getting really tight”.
