Match four: Norrie win saw Great Britain through to Davis Cup Finals Group Stages

Cam Norrie booked Great Britain’s place in the Davis Cup Finals Group Stages this September, with a strong 6-4, 6-4 win over Nicola Meija.

It was a gruelling first set for both players as they tussled against each other and the conditions to gain control from deep behind the baseline. The pair exchanged breaks at the midway point in the set, but the Colombian couldn’t sustain the pressure against the world No.11. A double fault from Meija on break point gave Norrie the lead once again and with the chance to serve out the set, he took his chance with relative ease.

As Norrie started to assert his dominance in the lengthy rallies, Meija tried to introduce a bit more variety to his game, which ultimately cost him the first break of the match with a missed volley and drop shot on serve at 3-3.

With each passing game, the contest grew tougher and tougher for both players. They navigated their way through two marathon games with multiple break points from 1-1, but the drawn-out points finally took their toll on Meija as Norrie tucked away a cool volley to edge a break and 3-2 in front.

Norrie remained on top for the rest of the match and despite losing a match point at 5-3, the British No.1 won four straight points on serve to wrap up the win.

Match three: Evans and Skupski too strong for former world No.1 duo

Dan Evans and Neal Skupski made a winning start to day two with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over two-time Grand Slam champions and former world No.1s, Juan-Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.

Bouncing around the court from the first point, Evans and Skupski capitalised on a sloppy start on Farah’s serve to break in the opening game and came close to going three up, if not for the Colombian’s lightning reflexes at the net.

With a game on the board and the crowd finding their voice, the two-time Grand Slam champions grew into the match, but the Brits kept their composure – losing only seven points on serve throughout the set.

Finalists at the Miami and Monte Carlo Masters back in 2021, Evans and Skupski once again broke at the start of the second, thanks to an incredible reaction lob from the world No.1 helping the Brits take their third break point. 

Mirroring the final game of the first set, Skupski had to rescue a 0-30 deficit with three big serves and eventually closed out the rubber on their third match point despite the deafening noise of the Colombian fans..

Match two - Norrie levelled the scoreboard with a win against Barrientos

Cam Norrie levelled things up in a vital win for Great Britain, after defeating Nicolas Barrientos 6-2, 7-5.

Norrie was first off the line, breaking Barrientos on his opening service game, before holding his own serve to gain an early advantage. The British No.1 remained strong behind his first serve in the opening set, winning a remarkable 92% of points.

At 4-2, Norrie found another breakthrough as he broke Barrientos' serve for the second time before serving out the set to love.

The second set proved to be more of a challenge as the Colombian tightened up his game and placed more pressure on Norrie's, forcing the Brit to save five break points at 2-2.

Despite his opponent carrying the momentum, the world No.11 fought hard to find the third break of the set at 5-5 before serving out the match and clinching the win for Great Britain.

Match one - Evans lost opening rubber against Nicolas Mejia 

Colombia took an early lead in the tie against after Nicolas Mejia beat Great Britain's Dan Evans 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

With a roaring home crowd behind him, Mejia made a confident start – holding to love  before immediately breaking Evans' serve and storming to a 3-0 lead.

After that, the Brit struggled to find an entryway into the set, despite being given break point opportunities at 4-1, which he failed to convert. Meanwhile, the Colombian piled the pressure on Evans’ serve at 5-2 and eventually sealed the set on the first set point to push the home nation into an early lead.

However, the tables turned in the second set with Evans responding well to the setback. The British No.2 dominated the Colombian’s second serve, winning 75% of return points in comparison to 40% in the first set. The improvements made helped Evans find two consecutive breaks on Mejia’s serve to take the set and level up the scoreboard.

Though both players fought closely in the third, the Colombian had the decisive edge, breaking Evans' serve at 5-4 with a backhand winner to clinch his first career win against a top 100 player.