Evans, Harris boost Britain over Finland

Experienced campaigner Dan Evans and Davis Cup rookie Billy Harris score key singles wins to hand Britain a 2-0 win over Finland in Wednesday’s Group D play in Manchester.

Evans began the day as he defeated No. 703 Eero Vasa 7-6 (3) 6-2 before British neophyte Harris put the tie out of reach with his 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over Otto Virtanen.

The No. 101 Harris, a summer Eastbourne semi-finalist, could not believe his accomplishment on his Davis debut.

“This has just topped it for me. We play week in, week out for ourselves and the first time playing for my country and a great start,” he said.

“When it was tight, the crowd getting behind me there made a big difference so thank you all.”

Harris said he had to battle to overcome Virtanen: “He’s a very aggressive player. I knew he would serve big so it was just a matter of getting the return in as much as possible and taking the chances when they came.”

British captain Leon Smith is resting US open semi-finalist Jack Draper after only arriving from New York on Tuesday.

Britain still face ties in the round-robin event against Argentina and Canada later in the week.