Dan Evans triumphs over Eero Vasa in Davis Cup, setting milestone with 26th tie victory for Great Britain, while Jack Draper gets extra rest for upcoming tougher matches.
Dan Evans overcame a spirited challenge from the lowly-ranked Eero Vasa to secure a winning start for Great Britain in their Davis Cup tie against Finland in Manchester.
This match was significant for Evans, as it marked his 26th tie in the competition, allowing him to surpass Andy Murray and claim joint second place in the British standings alongside Mike Sangster, only behind Bobby Wilson.
Despite being the heavy favorite in his previous 37 rubbers, Evans faced unexpected resistance from Vasa, ranked 703rd in the world, before grinding out a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory at the AO Arena.
'It was a difficult match, he played great at the start,' said Evans. 'I knew he was going to come out and play very aggressively. I found it a little tough for quite a long time to get the ball striking. I started to play a bit better in the second.'
This was a crucial win for the hosts, with captain Leon Smith opting to give US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper extra rest ahead of more challenging ties against Argentina and Canada later this week.
The 22-year-old Draper arrived in Manchester on Tuesday afternoon, just four days after his loss to world number one Jannik Sinner in New York.
Smith instead handed a debut to Billy Harris, who is currently ranked higher than Evans and therefore had to play as the number one, facing Finland's lead player Otto Virtanen.
Last year's surprise semi-finalists Finland faced a major setback with the absence of their number one player Emil Ruusuvuori due to injury.
Your Lexus GB Davis Cup Team to face Finland š
Dan Evans vs Eero Vasa Billy Harris vs Otto VirtanenNeal Skupski & Dan Evans vs Harri Heliovaara & Patrik Niklas-Salminen#BackTheBrits š¬š§ | #DavisCup
ā LTA (@the_LTA) September 11, 2024
Vasa's Davis Cup record includes losses to players from Madagascar and Zimbabwe, but he impressed in the opening set with a strong serve and solid groundstrokes.
Evans grew increasingly frustrated as Vasa held firm up to the tie-break, where the British veteran finally showcased his class.
It has been a challenging year for Evans since starring in Britain's dramatic group victory last year, with injuries and poor form dropping his ranking to 178.
However, he arrived in Manchester with high confidence after a promising run to the third round of the US Open and secured victory in an hour and 38 minutes.
