They went into the semi-final against Argentina in Glasgow as warm favourites but ended the first day trailing 2-0 after defeats for Andy Murray – in an epic contest with Juan Martin del Potro – and Kyle Edmund.
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Andy Murray lost the longest match of his career to Juan Martin del Potro to leave Great Britain up against it in their bid to reach a second consecutive Davis Cup final.
The outcome of that opening tie meant he and his captain Daniel Orsica faced a very different decision from that of their rivals who knew that if Britain’s No 1 could get his physically and emotionally over-extended body out of bed on not only the day after that defeat, but also after his grandfather’s funeral, he must find a way of dragging it on to the arena. “That happens in tennis and sport sometimes when it could go either way and there wasn’t much difference in the match”, Murray said. “It’s not easy but I think we did a good job of getting out there and performing well and fighting as hard as we could, and we deserved the win in the end”.
Edmund had come into his own as the British No. 1 in the quarter-finals in Serbia, where he won both singles rubbers against Janko Tipsarevic and Dusan Lajovic, to send GB into the semi-finals.
Sensing Mayer pinching the middle on set point, Andy Murray bolted a backhand return victor down the line, breaking del Potro’s serve and giving Great Britain a two sets to one lead.
As for his upcoming encounter with Andy Murray, Del Potro said Thursday: “I will try to do a different match from Rio”. That starts tomorrow and hopefully we can find a way to win that match.
With a final place against either Croatia or France in November at stake, Pella’s win leaves Argentina needing just one more victory from either Saturday’s doubles or the two remaining singles on Sunday to eliminate the holders and secure a fourth final spot in the past 10 years.
The gamble to pick the 27-year-old didn t look like paying off with the Argentine pairing initially looking like strangers on the court.
“I will be exhausted and I have to accept that and deal with it”.
“In the end I played good forehands and good serves and that was key”.
Gasquet, who was called into the team on Wednesday when US Open semifinalist Monfils pulled out with a knee injury, blazed through the match against Coric, relying on his trademark backhand winners.
Only twice before have Britain come from 0-2 to win a tie – against Germany in 1930 and against Russian Federation in 2013.
Having trailed 0-2 after the opening day of this semifinal against Del Potro’s Argentina, Andy and Jamie Murray needed to win Saturday’s doubles rubber to avoid elimination, but having done that, it still leaves Sunday’s singles rubbers.
Twice Del Potro forged a break ahead and he served for it at 5-4 but back came Murray, saving a set point with a sublime lob before winning the tie-break.
The Argentine then claimed the fourth 6-3 before holding serve to seal the memorable victory in the fifth.
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He started brightly enough leaping out to a 3-0 lead before being swiftly pegged back, and despite starting the resulting first set tie-break slowly, he soon started to wind up the pace, proving what a weapon his forehand is becoming, and picking off the first set at a canter.
