The Guardian

‘Proud’ Harris calms debut nerves to help GB to opening win

Without Draper and Murray world No 101 leads from front but doubles loss could be key

- Tumaini Carayol AO Arena

Great Britain gave an impressive demonstrat­ion of their singles depth in their opening Davis Cup group stage tie in Manchester as the newcomer Billy Harris led a team lacking Jack Draper to a 2-1 win over Finland.

During the early days of Andy Murray’s storied career, there were lengthy periods when he was the only British man ranked inside the top 200. He was charged with carrying the burden of British tennis in team competitio­ns almost single-handed and his underperfo­rmance or unavailabi­lity usually meant defeat.

The first Davis Cup tie since Murray’s retirement provided a solid demonstrat­ion of the greater competitiv­e depth Great Britain has built up as the 29-year-old Harris led his team to a win.

In the doubles, Dan Evans and Neal Skupski lost 7-6 (4), 7-5 to Harri Heliövaara and Otto Virtanen, a defeat that could be significan­t if Great Britain are tied with another team at the end of the week.

A year after his brilliant performanc­es spearheade­d Great Britain into the quarter-finals, Evans withstood a tough opening set against Eero Vasa, who played several levels above his modest ranking of No 703, before winning 7-6 (3), 6-2. In his first Davis Cup appearance, Harris maintained his composure under mounting pressure to win the tie with a stellar 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over Virtanen.

Five days after Draper played against Jannik Sinner in his first grand slam semi-final at the US Open, the British No 1 faced a difficult turnaround. After spending less than two days at home in London, he arrived in Manchester on Tuesday morning. Given his extensive injury history, Draper needs to manage his body carefully and so he spent the first day of competitio­n supporting from the bench.

In addition to Murray’s and Draper’s absence, Cameron Norrie, the British No 2, has been sidelined by an arm injury since the Olympic Games. With Evans’ ranking plummeting to No 178 despite an extremely positive third round run at the US Open, Harris, the world No 101, was thrust into this Davis Cup as his team’s top player.

He followed up Evans’s victory with an impressive performanc­e of his own. Virtanen sits just nine spots beneath him in the rankings and, with his own massive serve, played a starring role in Finland’s surprise Davis Cup semi-final run last year.

Harris is a straightfo­rward player who uses his big serve and forehand to impose himself on opponents and keep points short. After establishi­ng a 6-4, 4-2 lead, Harris played a sloppy service gamne an d found himself in a tense tussle. He maintained his composure and closed out one of the biggest wins of his flourishin­g career.

“I think debut for Great Britain, first cap, this probably tops it all so far,” he said. “It was always going to be tough playing No 1 with Jack and Cam and people not around. I went out and played a good match so I’m pleased with it.”

Over the past year Harris has enjoyed a surprise breakout run spearheade­d by an immense grasscourt summer, which included his first ATP semi-final in Eastbourne and an ATP 500 quarter-final at Queen’s. Having spent his entire career on the lower levels of the circuit with a career high ranking of No 290 until last October, he has risen rapidly and is on the verge of the top 100.

“Three years ago I was probably ranked about 600 so I had no chance,” he said. “But I’ve been improving each year since then and feel like I was ready to step into the team once I got called up. It’s a very proud moment to represent my country.”

Despite how well they coped without him, Draper’s presence will probably be key to Great Britain’s hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals in Málaga. The top two teams in each of the four groups in Manchester, Bologna, Valencia and Zhuhai qualify for the knockout stage.

Tomorrow, Great Britain will face an Argentina team that boasts two top 32 singles players in Sebastián Báez and Francisco Cerúndolo. Canada, the 2022 champions, will have two former top-10 players in Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov to choose from in Sunday’s tie.

‘I feel I was ready to step into the team when called’ Billy Harris British No 3

 ?? MARTIN RICKETT/PA ?? Next up for Billy Harris and Great Britain are Argentina tomorrow
MARTIN RICKETT/PA Next up for Billy Harris and Great Britain are Argentina tomorrow
 ?? ?? Dan Evans celebrates beating Finland’s Eero Vasa 7-6 (3), 6-2
Dan Evans celebrates beating Finland’s Eero Vasa 7-6 (3), 6-2

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