Marray helps GB to stunning fightback

The hosts looked dead and buried on Friday after five-set defeats for Dan Evans and James Ward at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena but Colin Fleming and Sheffield’s Jonny Marray kept the tie alive with victory in the doubles on Saturday. Beverley’s Kyle Edmund was a team member.

That set the stage for Ward and Evans, who overcame a combined rankings deficit of 392 places to beat Dmitry Tursunov and Evgeny Donskoy, respectively, and secure one of the more remarkable results in British tennis history.

Two-time winners Russia were only relegated from the World Group last year for the first time in 20 years and, with Andy Murray making himself unavailable for a third successive tie, went in as huge favourites.

First Ward, ranked 214 to Tursunov’s 67, recovered from two sets to one down to win 6-4 5-7 5-7 6-4 6-4 and send the tie into a decisive rubber.

That set the stage for Evans, who was the hero of Britain’s victory over Slovakia last year with a five-set win in the fifth match.

Russia were a step up in class but this time Evans, ranked 325, needed only three sets, dominating world No 80 Donskoy virtually from the off and clinching a quite remarkable 6-4 6-4 6-1 victory.

The British team celebrated as one on the court and, three years after a loss to Lithuania almost relegated them to Europe/Africa Group III, they stand on the brink of a return to the world’s elite.

Murray has already committed to playing in September and Leon Smith’s side will find out their opponents in Wednesday’s draw.

Ward put the win up alongside his first-round Wimbledon victory over Spain’s Pablo Andujar last year as the best of his life.

He said: “It’s got to up to there as one or two. Wimbledon’s always special because it’s the biggest tournament in the world. He was a top-30 player as well so that was special but this is just as much.

“It would have been very tough to take two five-set losses in a weekend, but it could have happened.”