Davis Cup: Dan Evans and Cameron Norrie lead Great Britain to crucial group-stage win over France

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Marc Mayo27 November 2021

Great Britain boosted their hopes of a spot in the Davis Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over France on Saturday.

Dan Evans and Cameron Norrie both claimed victory in their singles matches in straight sets as they began their group stage in Austria.

Evans beat Adrian Mannarino 7-5 6-4 in a little under two hours to give Britain the lead, firing 14 winners and converting three break points as the Frenchman made 22 unforced errors.

Norrie defeated Arthur Rinderknech 6-2 7-6(8), clinching victory on his second match point in an absorbing tie-break in which the Brit fought back from 4-1 down.

“It was a difficult match especially with a lot on the line,” Norrie told Eurosport. “He came up with some great volleys on the tie-break there. The team behind me were great, especially with no fans here, it wasn't easy.”

"It was a tough game early on and I found a lot of confidence - he went through a little patch where he missed a lot and I took advantage of that. All credit to the guy to make it to the tiebreak and I was fortunate to sneak through there."

France hit back in the doubles, Rinderknech and Nicolas Mahut downing Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 6-1 6-4.

Czech Republic are next up for Britain in Sunday’s matches, being played behind closed doors due to Covid-19.

The group winners and two best runners-up qualify for the quarter-finals. Any victory will secure GB a spot in the next round, with France’s earlier win over the Czechs meaning a 2-1 defeat will lead to a set-percentage tiebreaker.

Additional reporting by Reuters.

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