Murray fights back to level Davis Cup tie
Murray fights back to level Davis Cup tie
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Friday, 21, Jul 2006 09:16
Andrew Murray produced a stunning fightback from two sets down to level Great Britain's crunch Davis Cup tie with Israel after winning 2-6 4-6 7-5 6-2 6-3.
The Scot looked to be heading for a shock defeat against Andy Ram at Eastbourne but found his form to win in the second singles match.
The victory means Jeremy Bates' inexperienced team are level at 1-1 with three rubbers to play in the relegation tie.
Murray, 19, admitted he began sluggishly before clicking into gear.
"I played a really bad first set," he said.
"I couldn't concentrate, but to be fair, for a doubles player, I thought he was playing really good tennis."
"Three times I had 0-30 in the second set but I couldn't get my returns in or he got some good pick-ups, but as soon as I broke him in the third set the whole match changed."
He added the raucous home crowd were a big factor in helping him come back in five sets for the first time in his career.
"The crowd was great actually. Everybody was slightly critical of the choice of venue and said there was not enough enthusiasm but today it was great."
Earlier, Alex Bogdanovic's nightmare in the Davis Cup continued after losing to Noam Okun in straight sets 6-4 7-5 6-2.
Bogdanovic, ranked 122 places higher than his opponent, trailed 1-5 in the opening set before mounting a brief fightback.
The British number four was blown away in the third set is now a doubt to play in Sunday's crucial doubles match.