Great Britain got off to a winning start in their bid to reach the Davis Cup knockout stages with back-to-back wins in their singles matches against Finland at the Manchester Arena.
Dan Evans, who reached the third round of the US Open earlier this month, got the host nation off to a solid start with a 7-6(3), 6-2, victory over Eero Vasa, who is currently ranked outside the world’s top 700. The 34-year-old has won six out of eight matches he has played in the competition since the start of 2023 and has represented his country in the Davis Cup during 13 separate seasons since 2009.
“Difficult match, he played great at the start I knew he’d come out and play aggressive,” Evans said during his on-court interview after beating Vasa.
“This court helps that. I found it a little tough for quite a long time to get the ball striking there. He did a great job of rushing me. I started to play a bit better in the second and really well at the end.”
Britain secured an unassailable 2-0 lead with the help of Billy Harris, who is making his debut in the competition this week at the age of 29. Harris reached the semi-finals of the Eastbourne International earlier this year and is currently ranked at a career-high of 101. Taking on Otto Virtanen, he battled to a 6-4, 7-6(4), victory over the Fin.
“[It was an] unbelievable atmosphere out here, the home crowd pulled me through in the end,” Harris said of playing in Manchester. “When it was tight, the crowd getting behind me there made a big difference so thank you all.
US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper is also in the British team but was left out of the tie against Finland so he can have a longer recovery period following his Grand Slam breakthrough. He arrived in Manchester on Tuesday and has been seen wearing strapping on his right thigh when practicing.
Great Britain must finish in the top two in Group D to reach the knockout stages in November. They will play Canada and Argentina later this week.
