Murray brings Great Britain level in Davis Cup final

Andy Murray kept Britain in contention in the Davis Cup final when he beat Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans in straight sets to leave the two nations level at 1-1 after the opening singles Friday. Tapped for a long time as a talent to watch, Goffin was one of the stories of 2014 with his remarkable post-Wimbledon winning run, which saw him win four Challengers, two ATP World Tour 250 titles and finish runner-up to Federer at the 500 event in Basel, eventually compiling a 67-21 record on the year.

Crunching forehands with enormous power, Edmund was in complete control for more than an hour and looked set to become the first debutant to win a live rubber in the Davis Cup final. Only two players before him – John McEnroe and Mats Wilander – have won all eight singles games since the Davis Cup World Group was started.

After Murray had saved a set point in the 10th game of the third, the decisive break came in the next as Bemelmans was broken to love to move Great Britain closer to victory.

A typical thumping backhand victor by the Dunblane man flew past his opponent to secure the double break in the second set before a few more unforced errors from the Belgian handed Murray the initiative in cementing the break for a 2-0 lead after a second set that lasted 46 minutes.

The reliable forehand let Edmund down in the third game of the third set, going wide to hand Goffin an early break.

Goffin held serve to open with and when he broke to 15 in the next game, there was no way back for his shattered-looking opponent as the Belgian won 12 games in a row.

The crowd whistled and jeered as Murray and team captain Leon Smith pleaded their case at the changeover but the Scot was rattled and dropped serve on his next match, much to the delight of the home support.

However, Murray put him into place on his next serve, taking the game to love and he broke him again minutes later, tumbling on the clay as he returned a forehand to make it 4-2. “Today’s matches I think proved that”.

“The third set he started to get on top of me”. “If we win the match, get an away tie and play on clay again, it could be tricky”. Quality, home crowd and experience prevailed in the end, giving us an interesting first rubber in the Davis Cup final despite Murray being the clear favorite versus Bemelmans in the second rubber. “I didn’t actually hear I’d been given the first or the second warning”. “All I can say, and the team can say, is that it is very, very normal in Ghent”. If Britain is to win the trophy for the first time since 1936, it’s more than likely that Murray will need to contribute all three points, just as he did in the last two ties against France and Australia. But I knew if I found my timing, I had a small chance. All the matches are best of five sets.

Asked whether he would draft in James Ward to replace Edmund, beaten on day one, in a potential fifth singles rubber on Sunday, Smith added: “We won’t do anything until Saturday night”.

As unlikely as it seemed five years ago when GB’s Davis Cup credentials were at an all-time low, the team now find themselves in the final against Belgium in Ghent.

“From the beginning, I was a little bit tight also”.

And the world No. 2 was rarely troubled as he cruised into a two-set lead.