Davis Cup 2024: Four takeaways from Great Britain's defeat to Argentina
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Great Britain have left themselves with work to do going into their final tie against Canada at the Davis Cup Finals Group Stages, after losing out 2-1 against Argentina.
With the Brits losing out in their second tie of this year's Group Stages, we break down four key takeaways from a difficult day out in Manchester.
Aggressive Etcheverry ousts experienced Evans
Argentina were first out of the blocks in their tie against the Brits, as Tomas Martin Etcheverry edged out Britain’s Dan Evans.
Despite the Argentine being ranked 144 places above Evans, his lack of experience on the Davis Cup stage in comparison to his British opponent meant there wasn't really a clear-cut favourite heading into the first rubber of the day.
Today marked only Etcheverry’s third Davis Cup tie for Argentina, while Evans was contesting his 27th - seeing him move into second on the all-time list for GB.
While the Brit made the stronger start, he failed to take his early chances against the world No.34 who went on to ramp up the aggression, striking 33 winners across the match.
Evans raised his level in the second as he looked to kick-start the comeback against an inspired Etcheverry. Rallied on by his teammates watching from the sidelines, Argentine dominated behind his first serve, winning 73% of points when he landed his first serve and piled the pressure on Evans by frequently coming forward to the net.
The 34-year-old Brit conceded a break late in the second to give the Argentine the opportunity to serve out the set, but despite being on the back foot, Evans fought until the bitter end – something we’ve become so accustomed to seeing over the last 15 years of his Davis Cup career. Hoping to push his opponent to a tie-break, the former world No.25 batted away five match points before Etcheverry eventually fell over the line to take a 1-0 advantage.
Argentina the more clinical team in high-pressure moments
While both nations were presented with equal opportunities in the singles rubbers, it’s fair to say Argentina proved the more composed team during the pressure moments.
In both matches, it was the Argentines who continuously dug themselves out of trouble during the high-pressure points. While Evans did well to hang on against Etcheverry, he wasn't able to convert any of his seven break point opportunities across the match, including four that came in a gruelling fourth game of the opening set, which proved pivotal.
It was a similar story for British No.1 Jack Draper – who was making his first appearance in this year’s campaign after being rested in the Finland tie. Draper wasn’t without his chances against Francisco Cerundolo in their second career meeting, but the world No.31 didn’t panic as he batted away eight of the 10 break points he faced across the two hour and 10 minute battle.
In contrast, the former Rothesay International Eastbourne champion made the most out of his opportunities during the Brit’s service games – converting 75% (3/4) to secure the tie for his country.
Across both singles matches combined, the Brits saved 52% (9/17) of break points they faced while the Argentines stayed clutch to dismiss an impressive 84% (31/37). Had the British team been able to capitalise on their chances, their fate could’ve been different in the second tie of the Group Stages.
Evans and Skupski send the crowd home on a high
While the tie had already been lost earlier on in the singles, that didn’t stop Evans and Neal Skupski from producing an electric performance in the doubles rubber, after they clocked a convincing 6-3, 7-5 win over Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.
The British doubles pair had suffered defeat in their opening round tie against Finland but shook off all signs of disappointment to bounce back on Friday evening.
Skupski and Evans were unbothered during their service games, winning 86% of points on serve (44/51) and escaped the match without facing a single break point. However, the British partnership was most impressive on the return, where they sealed 20/58 points on the Argentinian duo's serve, while their opponents managed to win just seven out of 51 return points.
"We knew coming into the doubles it was going to be a big rubber to win," Skupski said in his on-court interview. "Obviously, the tie was over but every match counts, we managed to get through it. The energy today was incredible with the fans so hopefully more of the same on Sunday.
“We needed to take a few more chances on return and we did that today," Evans added. "We played great as Neal said it was a big rubber and we know we need every rubber from here on in to get through. We weren’t good enough in the singles, but we came out in the doubles – well done to Argentina but we’re still alive.”
It's still all to play for in Group D
A win against Argentina today would've seen Great Britain cement their place in the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, but now, it's going to go down to the wire heading into the final weekend.
Despite 2022 champions Canada having won their opening two ties against Argentina and Finland, none of the four nations in Group D have secured their spot in the top two positions yet, meaning its all to play for.
Come Sunday, if two teams are level on overall tie wins, those individual match wins become the difference between which teams make it to Malaga, which emphasises the importance of Evans and Skupski's doubles win earlier.
To guarantee a spot in November's Finals, Great Britain will need to take a clean sweep over Canada. Any other result will see the Brits fate be left in the hands of the outcome of Argentina vs Finland, which takes place on Saturday 14 September.
Here's how the Group D standings are shaping up heading into the final weekend in Manchester:
| Team | Ties won / lost | Rubbers won / lost |
| Canada | 2 - 0 | 5 - 1 |
| Argentina | 1 - 1 | 3 -2 |
| Great Britain | 1 - 1 | 3 - 2 |
| Finland | 0 - 2 | 1 - 5 |
