Britain now has a mountain to climb if the team are to qualify for the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next November following the 2-1 defeat inflicted on them by Argentina at the AO Arena in Manchester.
We knew it was going to be a really tough tie and that we had to win because if not we are out Francisco Cerundolo
Both the British singles players lost in straight sets in what was always going to be a tight tie but a winnable one as illustrated by the number of chances they had during their respective rubbers.
Jack Draper, rested after his excellent run at the US Open for the earlier Finland tie which they won, couldn’t pull the tie around after Dan Evans had lost the opener. He did join up with Neal Skupski to gain that solitary point which saved Leon Smith from a total whitewash.
The team now has to beat Canada on Sunday 3-0 to stand a chance of qualifying, a difficult task bearing in mind the Canucks can field Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger Aliassime in their line-up!
Evans, 34, the most experienced player in the squad playing his 27th tie to surpass Mike Sangster for second place in the British Davis Cup list of ties played, just couldn’t get past a stubborn Tomas Martin Etcheverry, 25, and the world No.31.
The Brit who has himself slipped down the rankings dramatically over recent months had to dig deep to try and recover from a poor first set but eventually succumbed 6-2 7-5 after he fought off five match points and failed to convert three break points.
Dan Evans had his chances
(Photo by Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
“I didn’t play my best,” Evans admitted. “A really long game at 2-1 in the first set probably changed the momentum of the match quite a bit.
“At the end I felt the momentum was turning, but I wasn’t as good as I expect.
“It was a difficult match. I wasn’t feeling great with how I was striking the ball.”
Hopes that Draper could turn the tie around for the doubles to settle it were ultimately dashed by Francisco Cerundolo, 26, and the world No. 31 who was able to take advantage of the British No. 1’s obvious fatigue.
Only a week had passed since losing to Jannik Sinner in New York, but still, Draper was expected to be able to handle his Argentine opponent, but as he later admitted, he couldn’t rise to the occasion despite the crowd’s support.
Even so, Cerundolo was made to work hard for his 7-6(4) 7-5 victory and breathed a sigh of relief on its conclusion having held off Draper’s attacks by saving 10 break points.
Jack Draper was unable to re-energize himself
(Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images for LTA)
“Since Miami [in March], I just haven’t had any time,” the 22-year-old Draper pointed out in explanation of his lackluster performance.
“We went straight into the clay, then straight on to the grass, straight to the Olympics, straight out to Montreal, Cincinnati, training week, US Open, here, then it’s Asia, then it’s indoor season.
“I look at the sort of schedule, and I know players have done it for years, but the way the ATP has changed to two weeks with the Masters and these types of things, it’s giving us no time anymore.
“There’s literally no break. It’s really mentally and physically challenging.”
While Draper reflected on what could have been, Cerundolo could hardly contain his delight at his country’s overall win.
Francisco Cerundolo played the best match of his career
(Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images for ITF)
“I’m super happy, super proud of me, my team, my country,” he said.
“We knew it was going to be a really tough tie and that we had to win because if not we are out.
“Tomas played a great match, and I think I played one of the best matches of my life, so I’m super happy to beat a player like Jack.”
The consolation point was won by Evans and Skupski beating Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-3 7-5, but it couldn’t hide a disappointing day for Leon Smith and his team who have to pick themselves up for Sunday’s tie.
