As is so often the case, it was therefore left to Andy Murray to get Great Britain’s first point on the board, and the world number two duly obliged with a 6-3 6-2 7-5 win over Ruben Bemelmans.
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After that, he raced through the first two sets.
Edmund came close to making his Davis Cup debut a memorable one after rolling through the first two sets against the much higher ranked Belgian.
In the second singles Friday, Andy Murray will play Ruben Bemelmans. Belgium have never won the Davis Cup and are appearing in the final for the first time since 1904 when they lost to Britain. With no half points for game losers in the Davis Cup, the best that could be said was that at least he had extended Goffin for two hours and 47 minutes ahead of his likely decider with Andy Murray on Sunday.
In the second rubber, Belgium’s Reuben Bemelmans will take on World No. 2 Andy Murray.
Edmund maintained his momentum and, by the time he had been broken again in the third game of the second set, Goffin was all over the place.
His choice: Whether to go for James Ward’s experience and commitment to the Davis Cup cause or take a chance on 20-year-old debutant Kyle Edmund whose recent form on clay, the surface picked by Belgium for this final, has been excellent.
The Scot broke at the first attempt, only for Bemelmans to break back immediately, but the opening set turned when Murray broke again in the sixth game.
Goffin held serve to open with and when he broke to 15 in the next game, there was no way back for his shattered-looking opponent as the Belgian won 12 games in a row.
“I believe we can win the tie, obviously, otherwise there would be no point in us being there”.
The British No 3 won the first five games, and would have won the set to love had he not missed the baseline with a forehand by the smallest of margins. The pattern of the next two sets would be Edmund, swinging freely, particularly with that heavy forehand as an error-strewn Goffin retreated into himself as the thought of his potential embarrassment awaited. Goffin looked out of rhythm, probably feeling more pressure in front of the home crowd. “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 collapse was complete in the fifth. Early in the third set Murray was warned about his language and was then deducted a point for another outburst, while Soren Friemel, the match referee, stepped in to have words as Van Herck became particularly animated.
“I think maybe as a person it helps you”, Murray said. Only the seventh man in history to make his tournament singles debut in the final, Edmund hardly looked unnerved by the occasion, by the noise or by the history that is on the line this weekend.
Goffin certainly aided Edmund, doing little to throw his foe out of his rhythm, bypassing drop shots or slices – unless he was on the defensive.
Goffin and the crowd sagged, with Edmund subsequently racing to a 5-0 lead. He does have a unique ability that you do not see from many players, and that is the knack of opening his racket face at the last instant and striking an inside-out volley off both flanks.
Goffin is 11-2 in Davis Cup singles and unbeaten in 2015 through Belgium’s ties against Switzerland, Canada and Argentina (all, it should be noted, lacking their top players).
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“You must use it to your advantage when you can and we did a decent job on the first day because we got off to the better starts”. You feel like you’ve let them down.
