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Davis Cup Finals 2019 Results: Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic Both Win on Wednesday

Matt Jones

Andy Murray produced a fantastic fightback to put Great Britain ahead in their Davis Cup Finals Group E match with the Netherlands on Wednesday, eventually beating Tallon Griekspoor 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (5)

Murray, who was well below his best throughout the contest, trailed 4-1 in the deciding set and appeared on the brink of a shock loss against the world No. 179. However, he continued to scrap and was eventually able to take the match in a thrilling tiebreak.

Later in the day, there were no problems for Novak Djokovic, as he coasted to a win over Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, securing victory for Serbia in the Group A match after Filip Krajinovic's victory in the first rubber.

Here are the results from Wednesday's play so far, with a number of nations seeking to make a step towards the quarter-finals of the competition.

  

Davis Cup—Wednesday Schedule and Results

Serbia 2-0 Japan (Group A)

(SRB) Filip Krajinovic bt. (JPN) Yuichi Sugita: 6-2, 6-4

(SRB) Novak Djokovic vs. (JPN) Yoshihito Nishioka: 6-1, 6-2

(SRB) Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki vs. (JPN) Ben McLachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama

      

Great Britain 1-0 Netherlands (Group E)

(GBR) Andy Murray bt. (NED) Tallon Griekspoor: 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (5)

(GBR) Dan Evans vs. (NED) Robin Haase

(GBR) Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski vs. (NED) Wesley Koolhof and Jean-Julien Roger

     

Argentina 0-1 Germany (Group C)

(GER) Philip Kohlschreiber bt. (ARG) Guido Pella: 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

(ARG) Diego Schwartzmann vs. (GER) Jan-Lennard Struff

(ARG) Maximo Gonzalez and Leonardo Mayer vs. (GER) Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies

   

Wednesday Recap

Murray was playing his first Davis Cup match since 2016 on Wednesday, and the unfamiliarity of the occasion got to him early on against Griekspoor.

The Scot was unable to develop much momentum when returning, and as a result, the play ambled towards a first-set tiebreak. After squandering a set point, Murray then allowed his opponent to wrest control of the breaker back and take the opener.

Per Eleanor Crooks of the Press Association, the match was turning into a frustrating one for a below-par Murray:

In the second, the Briton was able to break early on, and while he was still nowhere near top form, moments of quality were still evident in his play, inspiring him to the second set:

Murray's level slipped again in the decider, as Griekspoor continued to put his opponent's serve under pressure. At 4-1 in the Dutchman's favour, there didn't appear to be a way back for the Great Britain star.

However, the Scot showed why he's won three Grand Slam titles, breaking back and then moving level at 4-4. Eventually, a tiebreak was needed to separate the two men, and Murray found himself trailing 4-1 in that as well.

Still, he continued to produce big shots, while Griekspoor started to feel the pressure at the climax of the match. Eventually, on match point, he dumped a forehand into the net to hand Murray a memorable win.

Live Tennis paid tribute to both players following the epic contest:

Murray's mother Judy reflected on a breathless tussle:

There was no such drama in Djokovic's match, as he secured a win for Serbia with a routine victory over Nishioka.

The Japanese player offered some small early resistance, but he was eventually unable to live with the quality and intensity of the 16-time Grand Slam champion.    

   

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