Harris secures British win on Davis Cup debut

Debutant Billy Harris and veteran Dan Evans ensured Great Britain’s quest to reach the Davis Cup knockout stage started strongly – even without the rested Jack Draper.

Harris and Evans won their singles matches to guarantee a team victory in the best-of-three Group D tie against Finland.

Evans, 34, won 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 against 703rd-ranked Eero Vasa to put the hosts 1-0 ahead in Manchester on Wednesday.

That meant late bloomer Harris, who used to drive to low-level tournaments in a van before earning his first ATP Tour win last year aged 28, had the chance to clinch victory for Britain.

Harris made the most of the opportunity with a confident 6-4 7-6 (7-4) win over Otto Virtanen, earning an unassailable 2-0 lead.

US Open semi-finalist Draper celebrated from the sidelines, having sat out this opening tie following his exploits in New York over the past fortnight.

British men’s number one Draper arrived in Manchester on Tuesday lunchtime and, after watching him practise, British captain Leon Smith decided he needed longer to recover.

The 22-year-old left-hander could return for the round-robin ties against Argentina and Canada later this week.

Britain are aiming to finish in the top two of Group D and secure a place in the Davis Cup Finals last eight in Malaga later this year.

Despite Britain already winning the Finland tie, Evans and Neal Skupski still had to play a doubles match.

They went into it knowing that the difference between Britain beating Finland 3-0 and 2-1 could be crucial when it comes down to deciding who progresses later in the week.

As the post-Andy Murray era begins, the British squad for the men’s team event has a fresh look and new impetus.

Former world top-10 player Cameron Norrie is also missing through injury and that has resulted in Harris – joined as a rookie in Smith’s squad by Wimbledon doubles champion Henry Patten – being rewarded for his stunning rise over the past 18 months.

Harris’ journey to the cusp of the world’s top 100 has been long and arduous.

Driving around Europe to play in lower-tier events, and sleeping in his van while parked in McDonald’s car parks, stood as testament to his dedication.

The perseverance has paid off.

Harris was a hitting partner for the British squad when they played in the Davis Cup Finals knockout stage in November – now he is playing a pivotal role in their quest.

The bedrock of Harris’ game is his first serve, which he demonstrated in an impressive opening set where he won 95% of those which he landed.

Virtanen, ranked just below the Briton at 110th in the world, struggled with his returning game as a result, and it was a similar story as Harris moved a break up in the second set.

A change of flux saw Harris let the lead slip but, by maintaining his composure, he recovered to take control of the tie-break and earn an impressive victory.

Asked where this ranks among his finest career moments, Harris said: “I think making my debut for Great Britain and winning on my first cap probably tops it all so far.

“Three years ago I was probably ranked about 600 so I had no chance of getting near the team.

“But I’ve been improving each year since then and feel like I was ready to step into the team once I got called up.

“It’s a very proud moment to represent my country and happy I put in a good performance.”

Evans, despite a difficult season where he has struggled for form and fitness, is a reassuring presence in this British team.

He has dropped to outside the world’s 150 in recent months but, in front of a three-quarters full Manchester Arena, demonstrated why he remains so important to Smith’s squad.

Those watching would have been forgiven for thinking Evans would breeze past the unheralded Vasa, who plies most of his trade far away from the Grand Slam tournaments on the bottom-rung Futures Tour.

However, the 27-year-old Vasa surprised the crowd – if not Evans – by playing well above his ranking.

Booming first serves of above 130mph were backed up by speedy second serves, while he made Evans ask questions from the baseline in patient rallies.

Evans, who reached the US Open third round, had to fight off two break points in the first game of the match before starting to take control and apply pressure.

A break point was saved by Vasa in the eighth game and Evans could not convert three set points on his opponent’s serve later in the set.

But his experience and nous told in the tie-break, playing with a touch more aggression to bring up four set points and pressure Vasa into a double fault on the third.

Once he had a firm foothold, Evans accelerated quickly in the second set and moved a double break ahead before serving out a slow-burning victory.

“It was a difficult match; he played great at the start. I knew he would come out and play aggressive,” said Evans.

“I found it tough for a long time to get the ball-striking and I started to play better in the second and better at the end.”