Davis Cup 2026: Great Britain beat Norway to reach Qualifiers second round
• 3 minute read
Great Britain are through to the Davis Cup Qualifiers second round after defeating Norway 4-0 at the Nadderud Arena in Oslo.
The Lexus Great Britain Davis Cup team put on an impressive display over two days to knock out the Norwegian side without dropping a match.
Great Britain will now face the either Ecuador and Australia in the Davis Cup Qualifiers second round with the winner moving on to the Final 8 in November.
The Davis Cup Qualifiers second round ties are set to take place in September.
Following his team’s convincing victory against Norway, Captain Leon Smith was full of praise for his squad and their performances.
"I’m really delighted, very proud of what the players have done," he said. "The beginning of the tie with Casper Ruud not being able to play changes the dynamics, but then our guys have to go and deliver.
"We knew with Budkov Kjaer and Durasovic that it’s dangerous. It’s Davis Cup and things can happen, we’ve done upsets in the past as well so I know how it feels both ways.
"I think the players did a very good job in delivering the type of tennis they wanted to do. They were brave, they were aggressive and there were some tough moments, especially in the doubles match. We didn’t want to lose that and then suddenly the day starts to change a little bit. I think everyone has done a great job and we’ve really enjoyed it here.
"We have to wait and see what happens between Australia and Ecuador. One would be at home, which is Ecuador, and the other would be the other side of the world after the US Open which is a challenge. Wherever it is, we’ve loved this week here and look forward to playing the next round, whoever that might be."
All eyes were on the opening rubber of this tie as British No.1 Jack Draper made his long awaited return to the match court, his first match since August 2025.
Draper showed signs of the player who reached a career-high world No.4 last year as he dispatched Viktor Durasovic 6-2, 6-2 in only 61 minutes.
The Briton was pleased with his triumphant return after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. "It’s really good to play here in Oslo and have my first match in a long time,” he said.
“It’s been a really difficult time since I’ve been away from the sport but I knew I had to keep on practicing my hardest and learning about myself. That’s hard work that no one sees and then when I come back hopefully I’m able to play some top tennis again."
It was then over to Cam Norrie up against one of the game’s rising stars in 19-year-old Nicolai Budkov Kjaer.
Norrie and Budkov Kjaer know each other well having practiced many times together in Monaco, but on the big stage, Norrie’s experience proved the difference.
The British No.2 played the pressure moments well, breaking at 4-4 in the opening set and coming back from 4-1 down in the second to secure a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Coming into day two with a two match lead, the Brits only needed one more win to seal their place in the second round.
Up stepped last year’s No.1 doubles team on the ATP Tour, Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool to face Budkov Kjaer and Durasovic.
The Brits showed their quality in the pressure moments of a deciding set tie-break, silencing the crowd and completing Great Britain’s victory with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(5) win.
With the tie already wrapped up, Jacob Fearnley came in to play Budkov Kjaer in the final rubber and put on a strong performance against the ATP Next Gen semi-finalist.
Fearnley put the icing on the cake for the British team - winning 3-6, 6-3, 10-7 in an hour and 16 minutes.
