Dan Evans gave Great Britain a strong start in their Davis Cup campaign with a hard-fought win over Finland, while Jack Draper was rested.
Evans, 34, defeated Eero Vasa, ranked 703rd, with scores of 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, putting Great Britain 1-0 up in the best-of-three Group D tie in Manchester on Wednesday.
With US Open semi-finalist Draper resting after his recent run in New York, Billy Harris made his Davis Cup debut in the second match, potentially sealing the tie for Britain.
Draper, 22, arrived in Manchester on Tuesday and, after a practice session, was deemed in need of more recovery time by British captain Leon Smith. Draper may return for upcoming ties against Argentina and Canada.
Britain aims to top Group D in the round-robin stage and secure a spot in the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga later this year.
As the post-Andy Murray era begins, Dan Evans remains a key figure for Britain in the men’s team event. Despite falling outside the world’s top 150 in recent months, Evans showed his value in front of a nearly full Manchester Arena.
Facing Eero Vasa, ranked outside the top 700 and mostly competing on the Futures Tour, Evans was expected to win easily. However, Vasa surprised many with his strong performance, featuring powerful serves and resilient baseline play.
Evans, who reached the US Open third round, initially struggled, saving two break points in the first game and failing to convert three set points later. However, his experience shone through in the tie-break, where he capitalized on Vasa’s double fault to win the first set.
In the second set, Evans took control, breaking Vasa twice to secure a hard-fought victory. “It was a difficult match; he played great at the start. I knew he would come out and play aggressively,” Evans noted. “I found it tough for a while but played better as the match went on.”
