Wins for Arthur Fery and Toby Samuel at London’s Copper Box put Great Britain on the brink of a return to the Davis Cup Finals.
Handed the kindest draw possible with a home tie against outsiders Ecuador, Britain avoided any slip-ups on the first day despite a nervous start for Samuel on his debut.
A late replacement for the injured Cameron Norrie, 24-year-old Samuel lost the opening four games to Ecuador number one Andres Andrade but recovered well to claim a 4-6 6-4 6-1 victory.
While Samuel has had an excellent season, breaking into the top 100 on the back of a run to the second round of the US Open as a qualifier, playing for your country offers a different challenge.
“That’s definitely the most nerves I’ve had before a match, even more than the slams I’ve played,” said Samuel.
“I obviously didn’t start off as good as I wanted to and I went down, but I was like, ‘you’re a good player, I keep playing my game and I keep believing and get myself going a bit and it will come’, and it did in the end.
“It’s even better than I thought. The feeling you get when you get the win for your country is something I’ve never felt like I’ve experienced before.”
Fery followed up Samuel’s victory by winning the final eight games in a 7-5 6-0 success against Alvaro Guillen Meza.
That means Britain only need to win one of Sunday’s potential three rubbers to book their spot in the eight-team finals in Bologna in November for the first time since 2023.
Captain Leon Smith praised Samuel’s composure, saying: “He did a terrific job because it’s not easy.
“If you give a debut, maybe it’s better to be away from home where the eyes are off you a little bit. Fifteen minutes and you’re 0-4 down, it’s not a great feeling. I think he showed great resilience.”
Andrade is ranked just over 100 places lower than Samuel at 203 but such a gap can count for little in Davis Cup, while his greater experience was in his favour.
Samuel steadied himself after his poor start but could not complete a first-set fightback, and Andrade was sniffing victory when he recovered from a break down to make it 4-4 in the second set.
However, Samuel’s calm temperament served him well in the tight moments and, with Norrie leading the support courtside, he dominated the deciding set.
Samuel and Fery are part of a generation of British male players who have all pushed up the rankings this season – the LTA posted comparative pictures on X of the pair together as young juniors and lining up for this tie – with the latter taking on the mantle from another 24-year-old, injury-cursed Jack Draper.
Playing his first match in London since his breakthrough run to the Wimbledon semi-finals this summer, and only his second in Davis Cup, Fery did not look back after edging a tight first set.
“It was awesome,” said Fery, who made his debut in Poland a year ago. “You get goosebumps walking out. It was great playing here, obviously in London, a lot of support from everyone.
“It’s always different playing Davis Cup. You’re playing for a whole nation, there’s more responsibility on your shoulders. It’s a weight that I can carry and I felt confident out there.”
With world number one Henry Patten and new US Open champion Neal Skupski to call upon for the doubles rubber, Britain will expect to complete the job at the first opportunity on Sunday.
