Davis Cup: Great Britain end first day level with Lithuania

By Mark Hodgkinson in Vilnius Published: 7:21PM GMT 05 March 2010

Flying start: James Ward degraded Laurynas Grigelis in true sets Photo: AP

With no Murray, here was the eventuality in the Baltic for others to show what they could do. If it incited out to be a great day for the sons of cab drivers, with Britains James Ward and Lithuanias Ricardas Berankis winning their matches to leave the teams turn at one rubber each in this Davis Cup tie, it was in conclusion a unsatisfactory afternoon for the son of an electrician, Dan Evans.

Who could remonstrate with Evans research that his four-hour, five-set compare opposite Berankis, a former youth universe No1, had left "wrong, right, wrong, right, wrong"? Though Evans played a little sharp-witted things as he came at the back of to turn the rubber at one set all, and as he after found relation at dual sets each to take it in to a decider, the twenty year-old was incompetent to win the longest compare of his career, as Berankis triumphed 6-1, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.

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If Britain, a grand impact nation, could ever feel tolerably confident with being 1-1 at the finish of the opening day opposite a small tennis republic with usually 3 players with universe rankings, this was the occasion. When Murray is not playing, the parameters change.

With Britain perplexing to equivocate losing a fifth unbroken tie (the last 4 defeats have taken them from the chosen World Group down to what is effectively the third multiplication of the competition, Group Two of the euro-African Zone) the opening rubber had progressing brought an finish to one of the majority gloomy sequences in British tennis.

When Ward degraded Laurynas Grigelis 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, he became the initial British player for thirteen years, alternative than Murray, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski, to win a live singles rubber. Never mind that it took a outing at the back of the old Iron Curtain, and a compare opposite a teenaged Lithuanian ranked 521 in the world, to have it happen.

Apart from a unsure diversion when Ward was portion for the opening set, this was a decent performance. Thankfully, Ward, his captain John Lloyd and the rest of the British dais did not go in for any triumphalism, as this was a compare that the twenty-three year-old, ranked 250, was approaching to win.

Having waited thirteen years for someone alternative than the golden contingent to collect up a rubber, there could have been an additional British leader only a couple of hours later, as Evans, the universe No252, was attack the round sweetly opposite Berankis, who last month reached the quarter-finals of the main-tour eventuality in San Jose in California to move in to the planets tip 200 professionals.

On his initial dual appearances for his country, opposite Poland in Liverpool last September, Evans had unsuccessful to win a set. And when he won only one diversion in the opening set opposite Berankis, there contingency have been a little dark, desperate thoughts in the heads of the BATS, the 50 or so spectators from the British Association of Tennis Supporters.

Yet Evans deserved his celebratory cries of "Vamos", Spanish for "Lets go", as he leveled the compare at a set all and afterwards at dual sets all. This should not be filed afar as nonetheless an additional tame, sore British defeat.

Ken Skupski will have his initial coming in the Davis Cup when he partners Colin Fleming in Saturdays doubles rubber. There were suggestions on Friday night that the Lithuanians competence give a entrance to a fifteen year-old, Lukas Mugevicius. No Murray, but copiousness to discuss.