Beaten Andy partners brother to keep Britain alive in semis

GLASGOW: Andy and Jamie Murray kept Britain alive in their Davis Cup semifinal against Argentina, winning the doubles match in four sets to reduce the titleholder’s deficit to 2-1 on Saturday.

The Murray brothers beat Juan Martin del Potro and Leonardo Mayer 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in front of a rowdy crowd in Glasgow.

The semifinal moves to the reverse singles on Sunday, when Andy Murray is set to play Guido Pella and Del Potro is down to play Kyle Edmund.

“Two-one down is a tough position to be in,” Andy Murray said, “but we are closer than we were at the start of the day and I still believe we can come back.”

Del Potro and Murray were back on court after an epic 5-hour, 7-minute opening singles match Friday, won by Del Potro in five sets. Del Potro wasn’t slated to play in the doubles and was a surprise late change by Argentina captain Daniel Orsanic, especially given the player’s injury problems in recent years.

Del Potro ended Andy Murray’s 14-match winning streak in the Davis Cup, coming through 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 in 5 hours, 7 minutes to gain a measure of revenge after losing the Olympic final to Murray last month. It was the longest match of both players’ careers. NISHIKORI LIFTS JAPAN

TOKYO: Kei Nishikori teamed up with Yuichi Sugita in a dominant doubles victory as Japan completed a 3-0 defeat of Ukraine to return to the Davis Cup’s top table Saturday.

The world number five looked sharp as the Japanese pair ran out easy 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 winners over Artem Smirnov and Sergiy Stakhovsky in Osaka to give the home side an unassailable lead in the World Group playoff with only two rubbers remaining.

Nishikori sat out Friday’s opening singles as Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka put Japan in firm control of the tie.