TENNIS/Davis Cup: Britain's slender hopes of springing an upset against Roger Federer's Switzerland in their Davis Cup world group qualifying tie all but disappeared yesterday when they trailed 2-0 after the opening singles.
Victory for Federer, the world number one, was a given but Jeremy Bates, Britain's team captain, had hoped that the 18-year-old Andy Murray might defeat Stanislas Wawrinka, the Swiss number two. However Murray, like Alan Mackin, lost in straight sets.
Murray has leapt from outside the top 400 to number 110 in the world this year alone but on this occasion - and the pressure of the Davis Cup can upset the nerves of the most experienced player - he looked every inch the ingenue in what was his singles debut in the competition. Nevertheless he was perfectly pragmatic about the defeat.
"I can't play my best tennis every time. I don't feel I was the favourite to win this match and I certainly don't consider it to be a major blip." And neither should he. Murray has barely begun his professional career and there were occasions in his 6-3, 7-6, 6-4 defeat when he hit some stunning shots and discovered angles almost as improbable as Federer's.
Wawrinka, aged 20, has had an excellent year and is ranked 50 places above Murray. Bates dearly hoped to heap pressure on the Swiss, who had lost all his previous three Davis Cup singles and was considered a little flaky. True, there were moments when Wawrinka made the most outrageous of mistakes, although when it came to the crunch, notably in the second-set tie-break which Murray led 4-1, he was altogether steadier and more effective.
"Obviously it's disappointing to be two down, but Wawrinka played incredibly well on the big pressure points," said Bates, who had taken a considerable gamble by leaving Greg Rusedski, his number one, out of the opening singles. This was in order to keep the 32-year-old fresh for today's doubles, and the final reverse singles against Wawrinka tomorrow.
For Britain to extend this tie meaningfully into tomorrow - the winners' prize is a place in the first round of the elite 16-nation world group next year - Rusedski and Murray must win the doubles against Federer and Yves Allegro. If they manage that, there is then the small matter of Murray having to beat Federer in the opening reverse singles.
Wawrinka made the most of a slow start by Murray to build up a 5-1 lead in the first set and it was only then that the Scot began to catch fire, so much so that he might have saved the set. He continued in the ascendancy and seemed about to square the match in the tie-break but, just when he thought he had it, Wawrinka played his own very best tennis.
In the opening rubber, poor Mackin barely had time to ease himself out of the calm of the knock-up harbour before he was hit by the first of Federer's vicious squalls. Mackin was thereafter shipping water every game as he went down 6-0, 6-0, 6-2.
