Britain seize Davis Cup initiative

Great Britain captain Leon Smith has called for his team to earn a winning send-off from the traditional Davis Cup in Glasgow.

Britain take a 2-1 lead into the reverse singles after Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot came from a set down to win the doubles rubber against Uzbekistan in Glasgow on Sunday.

Murray, fresh from his US Open mixed doubles win with Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and Inglot overcame Denis Istomin and Sanjar Fayziev 4-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-2 6-3.

It means a win for Cameron Norrie against Istomin, or Dan Evans against Jurabek Karimov, will seal a historic victory of sorts.

With the Davis Cup undergoing a revamp next year there is no relegation at stake, but Smith’s team need a victory in the tie to ensure they are seeded in February’s qualifying tournament.

It also signals the end of best-of-five matches, meaning no more repeats of Friday when Evans and Norrie both went the distance.

“There’s a number of reasons to win,” said Smith.

“It certainly helps to get a seeding next year for the February play-offs, but it’s much more than that.

“You saw literally blood, sweat and a lot of tears at the end of the matches. It shows you what’s at stake when it comes to playing here.”

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