Great Britain was knocked out of the Davis Cup in Glasgow on Friday as the Netherlands won a decisive rubber double to end the hopes of Andy Murray and his teammates.
Dan Evans gave England the perfect start with a straight-set win over Tallon Griekspoor, after which Cameron Norrie was able to seal the score with a win over Botic van de Zandschulp but was beaten 6-4 6- 2 to put it on a pair of decisive rubber. .
But Murray and Joe Salisbury fell 7-6 (7-0) 6-7 (8-6) 6-3 to Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop at the Emirates Arena.
The beginning of the reunion is a somber affair, with a minute’s silence before the national anthems and a single piper providing the sole soundtrack.
Murray was once again nodded by Neal Skupski
Murray and Salisbury got off to a perfect start by breaking serve to Middelkoop in the opening game but they couldn’t keep their advantage, as Salisbury dropped serve in the eighth game.
The Dutchman then played a superb tie-break, picking up seven points in a row, and the second set also went smoothly, with no service break in 12 games.
Tension increased as the finish line got closer and closer to the Dutch and they had a match point at 5-6 but Salisbury saved it with a good serve and the British pair then had a chance first with a good fortune over a net rope. .
The players, teammates and supporters celebrated happily but they still had to decide and after missing the chance 3-3, Salisbury missed serve in the next game, caused Koolhof to serve for a famous victory.
Norrie lost to Botic van de Zandschulp
Norrie tried to win against Taylor Fritz on Wednesday but this time failed to recover from a poor start to Van de Zandschulp – a player he beat easily in Montreal last month.
The world No 8 struggled to find his match on the very slow Glasgow court and was second throughout the match against the Dutchman, who served 13 aces.
Norrie was extremely disappointed with his performance, saying: “He’s better than me. I only gave him two games. and that was me on a really bad day.
“It’s not the level I can reach. I’m disappointed by that. It was a great game for us, another must-win.”
Evans beat Tallon Griekspoor to give England the perfect start to the draw
Evans, who lost in a high-quality clash with American Tommy Paul, was tested by Griekspoor on hard courts very slowly but proved stronger in key moments in the 6-4 6- 4.
It was an important win for Evans, who had gone through some tight wins in the Davis Cup, and he said: “It’s a great atmosphere, I love playing in England, especially in England. here in Glasgow it was a great match I was just pumping to get through to everyone else.
“He serves extremely well. It’s annoying sometimes. I think I kept my cool and got through.”
Evans is 23 places above Griekspoor but the Dutchman has climbed into the top 50 this season thanks to a remarkable 28-match unbeaten streak in late 2021 and early 2022.
Griekspoor used his excess strength, especially his forehand, to corner Evans in a lengthy 8th set but England’s No. 2 held steady and then took his chance in the set. next.
He managed to keep Griekspoor at arm’s length, saving the only break point he faced in the second game of the second set, before breaking again in the seventh game and taking the third match point.
Alcaraz lost to Auger-Aliassime in first match as world number 1
Carlos Alcaraz’s first match as world No 1 in Spain’s match against Canada in Valencia ended with a three-set defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime
US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz failed on his debut as world No 1, losing 6-7 (7-3) 6-4 6-2 to Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in the clash. Davis Cup Finals group stage on Friday.
“It’s a big win for me and for the team,” said Auger-Aliassime. “For me, because Carlos is number one. But he put in a lot of work, so we have to respect him for flying across the Atlantic and coming here to play – credit for that.
“I think I showed at the end, I was a little bit better in the third set and I gave it all.”
Australia and Germany go deep in Hamburg thanks to the home team’s victory over Belgium, while Italy stands at the very top of Group A after beating Argentina.
