Davis Cup: Murray can't stop Poland's charge to win

Published on Saturday 19 September 2009 19:46

GREAT Britain are down 2-1 to Poland and all but out of the second tier of the Davis Cup after Andy Murray and Ross Hutchins lost their doubles rubber in four sets yesterday.

The 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory by the well-established Polish team of Marcin Matkowski and Mariusz Fyrstenberg means that Murray and Dan Evans must now beat Jerzy Janowicz and Michal Przysiezny respectively in this afternoon's remaining matches for the home team to take the tie 3-2 and avoid relegation from Euro Africa Zone Group One.

After the overnight uncertainty about his ability to play, the fact that Murray was passed fit – or at least fit enough – was a boost to British hopes even before he and Hutchins began their match against Matkowski and Fyrstenberg. Following his straight-sets victory over Przysiezny in the first match of the tie on Friday, the Scot had said that his continued participation was in doubt because of a chronic injury to his left wrist, but, while it requires daily treatment and will soon necessitate a break of indeterminate length from tennis, it was not so bad yesterday that he felt unable to go on.

"We talked about it, I thought about it a little bit, and I wanted to give it a go," Murray said, adding that he was optimistic it would hold up for today's match too. "I've just had some ice on so I can't feel it much. I'm hoping it's going to be OK."

Buoyed by the presence of the world No 3, the crowd in the Echo Arena in Liverpool were in far more boisterous form than they had been on day one. The attendance was a lot closer to the capacity of 5,000 that had been set for the occasion, the average age was substantially lower, and a vociferous bunch of Murray supporters managed to generate considerable noise.

For a time at least, the home fans had a fair amount to cheer about, as Murray and Hutchins had the upper hand for much of the first set. But a pattern soon emerged in which, while regularly holding break points against the Poles' serve, the British duo were unable to convert.

They had four in the first set, for example, losing all. Matkowski and Fyrstenberg had three, and their conversion of the third, against Hutchins, put them 6-5 up. Fyrstenberg won the next game, and he and his partner were a set to the good. The visiting team had come within two points of losing the set at 15-30 down in the tenth game, but they had been able to raise their game when it mattered.

The same was not the case, however, in the second set. It began in similar fashion with a long string of tight games, but Fyrstenberg lost his serve tamely. Murray served out, and the rubber was back in the melting pot at a set apiece.

Far and away the most able player on court, Murray might have been expected to be able to tip the contest in Britain's favour, but in the third and fourth sets that did not prove to be the case. His serve was broken for the first time in the sixth game of the third to allow the Poles a 4-2 lead, and although Hutchins saved a set point two games later, Matkowski closed it out 6-3.

When Murray's serve was broken again for a 3-2 lead to the Poles in the fourth set, the end was in sight. Matkowski had a slight hiccup, needing to save a break point before securing a 4-2 lead, but that was the Britons' last chance. Hutchins was then broken easily, leaving Fyrstenberg to seal victory.

The Poles, both full-time doubles players, are a good team, but there was no denying that the British duo had spurned more than a few chances: by the end they had converted just one break point from 19. "You can't win matches creating that many chances and not breaking serve," Murray said. "That's not a good stat."

Despite his injury, Murray is still a banker to beat Janowicz today, which would leave the match to be decided in the final rubber. Przysiezny will be too strong for Evans if their form on Friday is anything to go by, but British team captain John Lloyd said he had faith in the teenager from Birmingham to rise to the occasion on his debut.

"It's a difficult entry into Davis Cup play if it comes down to needing to win your second match to win the tie, but that's what Davis Cup is all about," Lloyd said. "He's an interesting character. I think he'll be nervous – it would be very strange if he wasn't – but I think he's someone you can communicate with. He'll listen, and he's feisty. I actually think he'll be fine. I expect him to win if it comes down to the fifth. It'll be tough, but I think Dan can win."