Samuel and Fery give Great Britain 2-0 Davis Cup lead over Ecuador
Great Britain are one win from the Davis Cup Final 8 after Toby Samuel and Arthur Fery won the opening singles against Ecuador in London.
Samuel marked his Davis Cup debut with a 4-6 6-4 6-1 comeback over Andres Andrade to put Britain 1-0 up. Fery then beat Alvaro Guillen Meza 7-5 6-0 to make it 2-0 at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday 19 September, according to BBC Sport.
Samuel had to rally. He dropped the first set to Andrade, the world No. 203, then found his range to take the second 6-4 and raced through the decider 6-1. Nerve held.
It was a big moment for the 95th-ranked Briton. He started the year outside the world's top 250 and climbed into the top 100 in the nine months before this tie. He played as Britain's No. 2 after Cameron Norrie withdrew with an arm injury, BBC Sport reported.
Fery backed him up in style. Britain's No. 1 for this tie, ranked 36th in the world after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals and the Winston-Salem final, edged a tight first set 7-5 against world No. 293 Guillen Meza. Then he cut loose. The second set was 6-0 in a hurry.
The setting added to the occasion. This second-round Qualifier, the knockout round where winning nations reach the Finals, is being played on an indoor hard court at the Copper Box. It is Britain's first home tie since 2024 and its first-ever Davis Cup tie at the venue, according to Davis Cup.
Britain arrived ranked No. 13 among Davis Cup nations. Ecuador arrived with history level. The head-to-head stood at 1-1 before Saturday.
What makes this stand out is how new this team looks. Fery has taken the leader's role. Samuel only joined the squad as its fifth member in early September, the LTA confirmed. Both delivered under team colours.
For fans, this means Sunday is a clincher. Henry Patten and Neal Skupski are scheduled to play the doubles from 12:00 BST. Win that, and the tie is won at 3-0.
The prize is clear. The winner of Britain against Ecuador goes to the Final 8 in Bologna from 24 to 29 November, alongside defending champions Italy and the seven other qualifier winners.
