(L-R) Australia's Sam Groth, Lleyton Hewitt, captain Wally Masur, Bernard Tomic, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Great Britain's Jamie Murray, Dan Evans, captain Leon Smith, Andy Murray and Dominic Inglot pose after the draw ahead of the Davis Cup semifinals at Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland, Thursday. — Reuters
LONDON — Britain gave Dan Evans, ranked 300th in the world, a surprise call-up Thursday as its second singles player for the Davis Cup semifinal against Australia in Glasgow this weekend. The 25-year-old joins brothers Andy and Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot in a team trying to reach its first final since 1978. World No. 3 Andy Murray will play Thanasi Kokkinakis, ranked 72, in Friday's opening singles match with Evans then playing Bernard Tomic (23). US Open doubles runner-up Jamie Murray will team up with Inglot, who reached the men's doubles semis in Flushing Meadows, for the third rubber against Samuel Groth and Lleyton Hewitt Saturday. Evans, who had been due to play a challenger event in Istanbul this week, was preferred over far higher-ranked Kyle Edmund and James Ward for the second singles slot. Edmund is ranked 100th in the world but had never played a Davis Cup tie and fell heavily in practice this week while Ward has lost his last 10 matches. Britain is in the semifinals in the team event for the first time since 1981. The winner of the tie will face either Belgium or Argentina in the final from Nov. 27-29. Hewitt has said that the pressure is all on Andy Murray as he attempts to lead his side to Davis Cup glory. Murray suffered the disappointment of being knocked out in the fourth round of the US Open by Kevin Anderson in New York last week - his earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament in five years. “A lot of the pressure is obviously on Andy,” said Hewitt, who won the competition with Australia in 1999 and 2003. “Whoever gets the opportunity to face him on day one really has nothing to lose, you can go out free swinging and play your game.” However, two-time major winner Murray was adamant that Great Britain's Davis Cup squad was not a one-man team. Goffin-Delbonis opener World No. 15 David Goffin will lead Belgium in the opening singles Davis Cup semifinal game against Argentina's Federic Delbonis, Thursday's draw revealed. The tie begins at 1200 GMT Friday and takes place in Brussels where Steve Darcis will be second on court for the host against Leonardo Mayer for the South Americans. Neither country have ever won the Davis Cup although Argentina has lost 3 finals and appeared in 10 of the past 14 Davis Cup semifinals. Belgium is playing in the last four for the first time since 1999 and will host the final in November should it progress. Saturday's pivotal doubles' rubber will feature Belgium's Ruben Bemelmans and Kimmer Coppejans against Carlos Berlocq and Diego Schwartzman of Argentina although the two captains can change their line-ups up to one hour before the match. Sunday will feature the reverse singles with three points needed for victory. — Agencies
