Britain brush off Murray absence to book last-eight clash with Germany
JAMIE MURRAY and Neal Skupski were Great Britain’s Davis Cup heroes once again as a team missing Andy Murray defeated Kazakhstan to set up a quarter-final against Germany.
Andy Murray ground out a dramatic victory over Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in nearly three hours on Wednesday but was far from his best and admitted afterwards that he was carrying extra weight and was not feeling good about his game.
Captain Leon Smith decided to leave him out yesterday, with Kyle Edmund stepping in and stepping up in a 6-3, 6-3, victory over Mikhail Kukushkin that was arguably his best performance of the season.
That gave Dan Evans the chance to send Britain through but, as against Dutchman Robin Haase on Wednesday, Evans was unable to build on a positive start against the unpredictable Alexander Bublik and fell to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, defeat.
With Britain unable to claim one of the two spots reserved for bestplaced runners-up because of the number of sets they had lost, it was all or nothing for Jamie Murray and Skupski against Bublik and Kukushkin.
But the British pair, who had excelled against Holland, produced another brilliant performance, showing the value of having a top doubles team in a 6-1, 6-4, victory.
Smith and his players can now look forward to a last-eight tie against Germany that on paper appears very tight.
There will be plenty to mull over selection-wise for the Scot, but Edmund’s performance has surely booked his spot in the side along with the doubles pair.
Edmund has had a poor season, dropping from inside the top 20 to 69 in the rankings, and only clinched his place in the team at the last minute by virtue of a decent run at the Paris Masters. But he produced an almost flawless display against a player ranked two places higher, striking his big groundstrokes with authority, serving well and hanging tough under pressure.
Edmund, who defeated Novak Djokovic at the same venue last year, albeit on clay, said: “I’ve been practising really well. I had a good feeling about how I’ve been going about my practice this week and my performance on court.
“I was trying to just transform that on to the match court. I was eager to really put myself out there and play my way. I was happy with what I did.”
A brilliant season has carried Evans to the British No.1 spot, but the 29-year-old appears to have hit the wall over the last month and has lacked energy this week.
This defeat had a lot to do with an unpredictable and explosive opponent in Bublik, who frequently sent down second serves in excess of 125mph. That resulted in 11 doubles faults, including one on set point in the first set that landed virtually on the baseline and prompted Bublik to smash his racket spectacularly.
But his boldness also paid off on numerous occasions and the diminutive Evans was at times little more than a bit-part player in the Bublik show.
The fast, bouncy court does not suit the man from Birmingham and, provided Andy Murray is fit, it seems likely he will not play against Germany.
Evans said: “I’ve obviously had two tough days. It’s disappointing. He’s obviously a tough guy to play. And I actually thought I didn’t do a lot wrong, I just thought he played pretty good.”
Asked about Britain’s strength in depth, Evans said with a wry smile: “At the minute, the No.1 guy is the weak one. If I’m needed again, I’ll put my game on the court and I’ll try to get us through. If I’m not, that’s all good as well. I’ll be there on the side supporting whoever’s playing.”