Great Britain found a way to defeat Japan at the United Cup, despite losing Emma Raducanu to a mystery injury before the match.
Raducanu’s replacement, Katie Swan, was defeated in straight sets by Naomi Osaka to send the tie to a doubles decider.
Billy Harris had earlier defeated Shintaro Mochizuki in straight sets, a player ranked 17 places above him in the ATP Tour rankings.
Great Britain’s United Cup captain Tim Henman has received praise following his nation’s underdog victory.
Tim Henman told he made the difference at the United Cup
Harris was full of praise for his United Cup captain, Henman, following his singles victory for Great Britain in Perth.
Speaking on-court after the victory, he said: “Great atmosphere…it got me through the match. A lot of Brits out here. Great to get the first win for the team.”
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“Some shaky bits in there, but I managed to close it out there in the end, so I was happy with that,” Harris added, before turning his attention toward his captain.
“Having Tim on the bench, it’s great having advice from someone like that. You’re listening every changeover, and those little bits of advice can make a difference.”
Harris picked up his first ATP-level win since the grass court season, since he beat Dušan Lajović in the first round of Wimbledon.
The British star is appearing at his second consecutive United Cup, but this is the first time he’s managed to pick up a victory.
When will Great Britain be in action next?
Great Britain have a crucial match with Greece next, which takes place during the night session on 5 January.
How likely is it that Emma Raducanu wins another Grand Slam, and why?
Both nations have a victory under their belt, so instant qualification will come to whichever team wins the tie.
As things stand, the singles matches scheduled are Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Billy Harris and Raducanu vs Maria Sakkari, but it is currently unclear whether Raducanu will be ready to return.
Olivia Nichols and Neal Skupski will take on Sakkari and Tsitsipas in the doubles match, which could be crucial for both teams.
