Shropshire Star

Cameron Norrie makes amends to secure Great Britain victory in the Davis Cup

GB will be seeded for next year’s new-look tournament.

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Cameron Norrie made up for his Friday night meltdown by leading Great Britain to Davis Cup victory over Uzbekistan in Glasgow.

Norrie, British number two and ranked 70 in the world, owed the team a performance against Sanjar Fayziev after blowing a two-set lead in falling to a painful defeat to Jurabek Karimov.

But after Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot won the doubles to hand Great Britain a 2-1 lead, Norrie knew a win would secure victory in the world group play-off with a match to spare.

And the 23-year-old delivered in style with a comprehensive 6-2 6-2 6-0 win to seal a 3-1 triumph and ensure Great Britain will be seeded for next year’s new-look Davis Cup.

Fayziev was a late replacement for world number 60 Denis Istomin, who lost in a gruelling five-setter against Dan Evans on Friday and then played in the doubles 24 hours later.

The 24-year-old, ranked 516, has lost all six singles rubbers he has played in the competition.

Norrie suffered a slight wobble when Fayziev broke his serve in the first game, but he quickly recovered his composure to take the set.

He looked a different player to the one who had fallen to pieces so spectacularly just two days earlier.

Cameron Norrie won the final match in straight sets
Cameron Norrie won his match in straight sets (Ian Rutherford/PA)

There was, at last, some variety in Norrie’s shot making while his deep forehand kept Fayziev firmly on the defensive.

The conviction which deserted him on Friday was also back, not least when facing three break points.

A break in the fourth game of the second set had given Norrie the advantage and he broke again for a two-set lead.

This, of course, was when Friday’s horror show began, Norrie’s safety-first approach taking him to a tie-break which he lost.

There were no such problems this time, Norrie racing away with the third set in just 27 minutes without dropping a game.

After the captains were consulted, it was decided Sunday’s final match, now a dead rubber between Evans and Karimov, would not be played.

Norrie said: “I’m extremely proud. I’d like to thank the crowd, you were awesome, it’s been an incredible weekend in Glasgow. And thanks to my dad for staying put in his seat.

“Thanks to all the team, and big congrats to the Uzbek team, you fought like dogs. It was a first home tie for me and I’m very proud.

“Obviously I was nervous coming into the tie today but the crowd got me through it. I learned a lot this weekend and I’m really proud of the team.”

The revamped Davis Cup will see a World Cup-style tournament take place in November, with qualifying set to go ahead in February. It also meant there was no threat of relegation in this play-off.

GB captain Leon Smith said: “It’s been fun but there’s a lot more to it than fun, there’s a huge amount of pressure so an awful lot of credit to Cam.

Leon Smith, left, was delighted with the performance of Norrie, right
Leon Smith, left, was delighted with the performance of Norrie, right (Ian Rutherford/PA)

“We have a great team spirit. Some people said this was a meaningless tie but look at the Uzbekistan team, look at the crowd. It was hardly meaningless, it’s been brilliant.

“Now the important thing is we are seeded in the draw in a couple of weeks’ time. We’ll see what happens with that.

“Now the decision has been made about the new format we have to embrace it. We want to be part of it, it will be exciting doing something different.”

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