Murray ends Britain’s 79-year wait for Cup

GHENT, BELGIUM: The moment Andy Murray has pursued with fanatical zeal arrived, unforgettably, on Sunday when an outrageous lob arced over Belgium’s David Goffin to seal Britain’s first Davis Cup title for 79 years.

Fittingly for a player who has almost single-handedly guided his country to a 10th title, the indefatigable Murray ended Goffin’s inspired resistance with a moment of sheer brilliance few could conjure to complete a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 victory.

It gave Britain a winning 3-1 lead and started a party that hundreds of visiting fans decked out in union flags and Scottish saltires will keep going long into the night in medieval Ghent.

Murray, who looked close to exhaustion at the end of the three-hour contest that was far closer than the scoreline suggested, collapsed on to the claycourt before being swamped by his team mates and captain Leon Smith. Sportingly he clambered to his feet to console Goffin who had gallantly clung on to the hope of keeping alive Belgium’s chances of winning the title for the first time. SARITA’S RETURN

NEW DELHI: On a comeback trail after serving out her one-year ban, Asian Games bronze-medallist L Sarita Devi will be seen in action from December 1 as part of a 13-strong Indian team for the training-cum-competition event in the Chinese city of Qian’an.

The 10-day sojourn will see the Indians square off against boxers from Asian countries such as China, Thailand, Mongolia, and South Korea.