Davis Cup Final Live Thread

[Henman Bill]

Well at one stage it was in doubt due to terrorism, that seems to have faded away and looks like it's going ahead. The rest of this article courtesy of BBC:

Davis Cup final: Belgium v Great Britain
Venue: Flanders Expo, Ghent Dates: 27-29 November
BBC coverage: Watch on BBC television, the BBC Sport website, Connected TVs, tablets, mobiles and app and listen on Radio 5 live and 5 live sports extra. Full details.
Kyle Edmund will make his Davis Cup debut in the final after he was selected as Britain's number two singles player to face Belgium.

Edmund, 20, will play David Goffin in the opening singles match at 12:30 GMT on Friday, followed by Andy Murray against Ruben Bemelmans.

Jamie Murray will join brother Andy for the doubles on Saturday.

Captain Leon Smith has retained James Ward for the reverse singles should the tie go to a fifth and final rubber.

The best-of-five tie takes place over three days at the Flanders Expo, with 13,000 spectators expected each day - including more than 1,000 British fans.

Great Britain are in the final for the first time since 1978 and are hoping to win their first Davis Cup since 1936, while Belgium have yet to win the competition.

Edmund will become only the sixth man in the 115-year history of the Davis Cup to make his debut in the final.

Davis Cup final draw
Day One David Goffin v Kyle Edmund; Ruben Bemelmans v Andy Murray
Day Two Kimmer Coppejans/Steve Darcis v Jamie Murray/Andy Murray
Day Three David Goffin v Andy Murray, Ruben Bemelmans v Kyle Edmund

[sirfredperry]

Just all season last year it seemed fated that Switzerland would win the DC, this year everything has pointed to a GB victory. Murray may be exasperating at times, but he is rock solid at DC singles. He lost as a teenager, and got beaten on dodgy clay away to Italy, but he's won every DC singles apart from that.
It's all on the doubles. Win that and GB will win the whole thing.

[YvonneT]

I don't think it's inconceivable that Murray would lose to Goffin - especially in his 3rd BO5 match in 3 days on clay (same scenario as when he lost to Fognini actually - and he played 2nd on day 1 that time too so reduced recovery time). But yeah, he's still favourite for his 2 singles. Double can be less predictable but GB should be favourites there too.

I think I'd have rather Inglot made the final team and Ward dropped just to give more options without Murray if the day 1 match goes late or he gets injured. That said, Leon Smith's had a pretty good record at picking the right team.

[YvonneT]

There's been quite a few articles on Leon Smith in the last couple of days. He does seem to have turned out to be a good choice of captain. You always see comments about how the role just involves picking Murray, but that doesn't acknowledge that he does seem to have coaxed some great performances in Davis Cup from the other players including Ward and Evans, certainly more so than John Lloyd. That could have been just timing, but maybe Smith also spent more time with them and had a better rapport, as well as getting the scouting/tactics etc right.

[Danny_1982]

Come on Kyle! Be interesting to see how he's developed. Haven't seen him play since his match at the French. He's the great hope for British tennis once Andy retires.

[Henman Bill]

Players on court, knocking up.

[temporary21]

Some real pop from the british crowd you know

[temporary21]

Huh... Edmunds better than I remember him

[ListenUp]

I was at his match against Stephane Robert (& most of the crowd) at Roland Garros. That was stressful watching – this must be something else!
11 minutes and they're still in the first game.

[temporary21]

That's SUCH a heavy fh. The last guy I saw with that kind of fh was igor andreev

[temporary21]

Nice start. Hope to at least tire goffin out

[Henman Bill]

Good game there to break, very well played.

But....Goffin is a different class. He simply has more technical ability.

Over best of 5, I think Goffin looks strong favourite to win.

Edmunds need to try and overpower him I think, the court is not too slow being indoor perhaps, so he has a chance.

[Danny_1982]

Edmund has improved big time. Don't remember his cross court backhand being this good. Also the forehand has just as much power but looks way more secure.

Movement still needs work, but he looks a proper player.

[Henman Bill]

Wow, what a solid 2nd and 3rd game. Looked much better player than the first game which obviously was important and settled him.

[Henman Bill]

Yeah agree on the movement. Definately not top class. But I watch so few matches with players of this ranking and so used to watching the big four that it's tempting to say he looks like a really average player when actually he's very good by almost any standard.

[temporary21]

The courts quicker than Miami. Heck it looks faster than Paris...

[temporary21]

Gofs fh looks tight. Brushing up way too much on if

[lags72]

I was at his match against Stephane Robert (& most of the crowd) at Roland Garros. That was stressful watching – this must be something else!
11 minutes and they're still in the first game.

Wasn't Robert the guy who kept Murray on court rather longer than expected at last year's AO .... ?

What a spectacular start here from Edmund !!!

[temporary21]

Oh yeah and I hate jonothan overends conmentary. Put this in early so I don't keep repeating it

[Henman Bill]

Wow, after the first game when he struggled to hold serve and hit wild errors, looked like a gulf in class, looked like he would lose in straight sets to me. I think that first game was important. Settled him hugely winning game 1. Now he is the zone. All over it. Games 2 to 5 have been surprisingly good.

[Danny_1982]

Difficult not to get a bit excited watching a young Brit doing this to a world number 16.

[Henman Bill]

Saw Goffin beat Zeballos this year at Wimbledon on an outside court, a very small one, I am pretty sure I was sat next to Goffin's girlfriend and trainer. A boy came and stood behind me that was the spit of Goffin, I strongly suspect it was his younger brother.

[temporary21]

I can see why he likes the clay. He gets a wind up on that fh he's got soderling power!

[Aut0Gr4ph]

Mightily impressive start from Kyle. Almost got the bagel. Looks a real prospect. Breaking top 100 at age 20 is no mean feat, so perhaps not so surprising he can play like this.

[Aut0Gr4ph]

Now the pressure is on. Will be interesting to see how he responds. Massive game coming up.

[Henman Bill]

Great set! Especially games 2 to 5.

Getting the first serve in seems to be key here. In his second and third service games I think his first serve % was high and he was dominating. Goffin was starting to attack the second serve there.

[Aut0Gr4ph]

That's the set. Goffin looks shell-shocked and who can blame him. He's getting bullied here. Could be getting carried away here, but is there a little bit of Nadal in that forehand? Kyle certainly hits it big and with loads of spin.

[Henman Bill]

Goffin looks to be getting slightly irritated at times there. Need to keep his cool.

Even if he loses, Edmund is doing Murray a favour by trying to tire out Goffin and put him through the emotional wringer.

If Goffinn goes 4 or 5 here, and Murray can win the singles and doubles in straights, then he won't have a tiredness or emotional disadvantage whey the 2 play on Sunday.

[Henman Bill]

I always used to believe that set 2 was the most important in a 5-set match. Whoever wins set 2 usually wins the match.

1-1 with momentum or 0-2.

I suspect if you look at this very logically it isn't true, but it always sort of felt that way.

Especially when the first set it won by the underdog.

[Born Slippy]

That's the set. Goffin looks shell-shocked and who can blame him. He's getting bullied here. Could be getting carried away here, but is there a little bit of Nadal in that forehand? Kyle certainly hits it big and with loads of spin.

More like Jack Sock I would have said.

[temporary21]

Goffin is all over the shop. Serves missing by 6 feet! He needs to get his head back

[temporary21]

Jack sock or igor andreev to me. His is pure pull the ball down topspin. Rafas floats a bit, it goes more for angles

[temporary21]

Ouch...

[Henman Bill]

Goffin is all over the shop. Serves missing by 6 feet! He needs to get his head back

not what I expected from him. Thought he's have a cooler head and turn it around.

[lags72]

Edmund in charge against a guy who has pushed both Djokovic and Federer to three sets within the past few months ......

[Born Slippy]

Davis Cup website can be a little off on the stats but Edmund currently a mighty 17/3 winners versus UEs.

[Aut0Gr4ph]

Goffin looking sick out here. Not enjoying the pressure at all. You get the feeling he's not going to play his way out of this. I think he needs Kyle's level to drop to have a chance, which, of course, may happen.

[temporary21]

It's in his face. He looks terrified!

[Henman Bill]

Maybe Belgium should have gont with a slower court. I guess they probably thought Goffin would beat the British no 2 whatever the court speed.

A slower court might have helped Goffin on the last day as well by dragging Murray into a very long and physical match when already tired out.

Edmund playing as well as Monfils last year on a similar surface against the FEd.

[Henman Bill]

Goffin looking sick out here. Not enjoying the pressure at all. You get the feeling he's not going to play his way out of this. I think he needs Kyle's level to drop to have a chance, which, of course, may happen.

sounds about right.

[Aut0Gr4ph]

Davis Cup website can be a little off on the stats but Edmund currently a mighty 17/3 winners versus UEs.

I can believe the winners, but he's surely hit more than 3 UEs. I think the stat guys are being kind to him there.

[Henman Bill]

what a dire set from Goffin and very good from Edmund. Triple break!!!

[temporary21]

I saw a replay of Mac in the 84 final when he hit like 7 Ue all match. The stat track was up. Mac dumped a simple return, and the counter didn't go up...

[Henman Bill]

yeah I thought that, he hit about 3 UEs in the first game.

DF on BP twice now I think.

[Born Slippy]

They should have gone with a much quicker court. The slow court just enables Edmund to power through Goffin's powder-puff groundstrokes. On a much quicker court (given that Edmund doesn't have a mind-blowing serve) Goffin's game would be far more effective. Admittedly, GB would probably have played Evans on a quicker court, who has form for raising his game in DC, but I doubt he would have produced this level.

[Henman Bill]

don't like courtside interviews especially during the match.

he's hardly going to say anything interesting at that point. just leave it alone.

[lags72]

Goffin must be even more frustrated by the knowledge that Edmund was not even a 100% guaranteed pick for the GB team ...!

[Henman Bill]

commentators on bbc2 getting a little overexcited and ahead of themselves

[lags72]

Lots of forced errors from Goffin, BUT there have also been spells in the match so far during which he has hit the ball cleanly - so we mustn't take anything away from Edmund's performance today.

[Aut0Gr4ph]

Yes, this is far from over. Don't know much about Kyle's mettle, but doubt it would take much to change the momentum. Plus, Goffin can hardly play any worse than at present.

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