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Ward to make Davis Cup bow


 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 13:07

Captain John Lloyd has confirmed his four-man team for the Europe/Africa Zone Group II tie in Vilnius, with Ward and Dan Evans given the two singles spots.

With British number one Andy Murray having decided to skip the match, Lloyd had to choose between Ward, Evans and Jamie Baker, who will travel with the squad as a reserve.

Ward is the highest ranked of the trio at 252 in the world but has had a mixed start to 2010, qualifying for the ATP World Tour event in Chennai but losing his last three matches.

Evans played in Britain’s last tie against Poland but lost both his rubbers in straight sets, leading to Britain’s relegation.

Doubles team Ken Skupski and Colin Fleming, as expected, make up the remainder of the team.

The pair made an instant impact on the ATP Tour last year but have lost in the first round of their last three events.

Fellow doubles specialist Ross Hutchins finds himself a reserve despite reaching two main tour finals already this year and reclaiming the British number one doubles ranking.

Victory over Lithuania in the tie, which starts on March 5, would put Britain on the road to promotion but is far from a certainty.

Lithuanian number one Ricardas Berankis is ranked 198th in the world and has been in good form this year, while Britain’s team cannot boast a single Davis Cup victory between them.

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.