Arthur Fery’s return to competition on home soil for the first time since his glorious summer at Wimbledon took place on a different surface, in a completely different format and on the opposite side of London, but the emotions it generated were all the same as the British No 1 led his team to a 2-0 lead over Ecuador by defeating Álvaro Guillén Meza 7-5, 6-0 in Great Britain’s Davis Cup qualifier tie in the Copper Box Arena.
The victory for Fery, a Wimbledon semi-finalist, had been preceded by a solid debut for the British No 5, Toby Samuel, a late injury replacement for Cameron Norrie, who opened the tie by overcoming a nervous start to set the tone with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Ecuador’s No 1, Andrés Andrade.
A successful opening day means Britain stands one win away from the Davis Cup Final 8, the decisive knockout stage of the competition, which takes place in Bologna between 18 and 23 November.
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Full report to follow