{"id":776276,"date":"2026-09-20T00:06:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T00:06:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/776276\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T00:06:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T00:06:19","slug":"great-britain-close-in-on-davis-cup-finals-thanks-to-arthur-fery-and-toby-samuel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/776276\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Britain close in on Davis Cup Finals thanks to Arthur Fery and Toby Samuel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Handed the kindest draw possible with a home tie against outsiders Ecuador, Britain avoided any slip-ups on the first day despite a nervous start for Samuel on his debut.<\/p>\n

A late replacement for the injured Cameron Norrie, 24-year-old Samuel lost the opening four games to Ecuador number one Andres Andrade but recovered well to claim a 4-6 6-4 6-1 victory.<\/p>\n

\"TobyToby Samuel, left, is congratulated by Leon Smith (John Walton\/PA)<\/p>\n

While Samuel has had an excellent season, breaking into the top 100 on the back of a run to the second round of the US Open as a qualifier, playing for your country offers a different challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s definitely the most nerves I\u2019ve had before a match, even more than the slams I\u2019ve played,\u201d said Samuel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI obviously didn\u2019t start off as good as I wanted to and I went down, but I was like, \u2018you\u2019re a good player, I keep playing my game and I keep believing and get myself going a bit and it will come\u2019, and it did in the end.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s even better than I thought. The feeling you get when you get the win for your country is something I\u2019ve never felt like I\u2019ve experienced before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TobyToby Samuel strikes a forehand (John Walton\/PA)<\/p>\n

Fery followed up Samuel\u2019s victory by winning the final eight games in a 7-5 6-0 success against Alvaro Guillen Meza.<\/p>\n

That means Britain only need to win one of Sunday\u2019s potential three rubbers to book their spot in the eight-team finals in Bologna in November for the first time since 2023.<\/p>\n

Captain Leon Smith praised Samuel\u2019s composure, saying: \u201cHe did a terrific job because it\u2019s not easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you give a debut, maybe it\u2019s better to be away from home where the eyes are off you a little bit. Fifteen minutes and you\u2019re 0-4 down, it\u2019s not a great feeling. I think he showed great resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GreatGreat Britain fans at the Copper Box (John Walton\/PA)<\/p>\n

Andrade is ranked just over 100 places lower than Samuel at 203 but such a gap can count for little in Davis Cup, while his greater experience was in his favour.<\/p>\n

Samuel steadied himself after his poor start but could not complete a first-set fightback, and Andrade was sniffing victory when he recovered from a break down to make it 4-4 in the second set.<\/p>\n

However, Samuel\u2019s calm temperament served him well in the tight moments and, with Norrie leading the support courtside, he dominated the deciding set.<\/p>\n

Samuel and Fery are part of a generation of British male players who have all pushed up the rankings this season \u2013 the LTA posted comparative pictures on X of the pair together as young juniors and lining up for this tie \u2013 with the latter taking on the mantle from another 24-year-old, injury-cursed Jack Draper.<\/p>\n

“Having played orange & green ball against each other at 10-and-under to be here playing Davis Cup together. It\u2019s an unbelievable journey we\u2019ve been on” \ud83e\udd79\u2764\ufe0f<\/p>\n

A full circle moment for @ArthurFery02<\/a> & Toby Samuel, who will lead out Great Britain in the singles this weekend\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/bfKzHPNeew<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 LTA (@the_LTA) September 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Playing his first match in London since his breakthrough run to the Wimbledon semi-finals this summer, and only his second in Davis Cup, Fery did not look back after edging a tight first set.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was awesome,\u201d said Fery, who made his debut in Poland a year ago. \u201cYou get goosebumps walking out. It was great playing here, obviously in London, a lot of support from everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always different playing Davis Cup. You\u2019re playing for a whole nation, there\u2019s more responsibility on your shoulders. It\u2019s a weight that I can carry and I felt confident out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

With world number one Henry Patten and new US Open champion Neal Skupski to call upon for the doubles rubber, Britain will expect to complete the job at the first opportunity on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s side are looking to join South Korea, Austria and Czechia, who all booked their spots on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The latter prevailed in the tie of the round against the USA in Prague, with US Open finalist Ben Shelton losing for a second time against Jakub Mensik before Jiri Lehecka completed victory by seeing off Learner Tien amid raucous scenes.<\/p>\n