Great Britain has established a strong position in their Davis Cup qualifier against Ecuador, ending the first day of competition with a 2-0 lead. The matches, held at the Copper Box Arena in London, saw successful performances from the British squad despite a last-minute roster change.

Toby Samuel, serving as a late replacement for Cameron Norrie due to injury, opened the tie with a victory, marking a successful debut for the British No 5. Following this, Arthur Fery, the British No 1, extended the lead by defeating Ecuador’s Álvaro Guillén Meza in straight sets, 7-5, 6-0. Fery, who recently gained attention for his performance at Wimbledon, successfully transitioned to the indoor hard-court format to secure the second point of the day for his team.

The British team now requires only one more victory from the remaining matches to clinch the tie. The Ecuadorian team, led by Guillén Meza, will look to recover in the upcoming doubles and reverse singles matches to keep their hopes alive in the qualifier.