Great Britain booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup in dramatic circumstances in Ottawa.
Leon Smith’s team entered the final day with a slender 2-1 advantage and Dan Evans lost 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 to Vasek Pospisil to send the tie into a decisive fifth and final rubber.
And Kyle Edmund, so disappointing in Friday’s defeat to Pospisil, was up two sets and break when 17-year old rival Denis Shapovalov, last year’s junior Wimbledon champion, spectacularly lost his cool.
After dropping his serve again he fired a ball into the crowd in frustration, striking the umpire on the eye and immediately defaulting the match.
It means Great Britain will now face France away in the quarter-finals - and it all left Edmund a little lost for words.
“It was a strange way to finish the match for sure but I was pleased with how the match was going until that point,” he said.
“I was very pleased with how I managed the pressure, especially after how badly I played on Friday. I know I can’t play like that in the Davis Cup.
“This means a lot to the team. We put lots of effort into this tie and I love playing in this atmosphere, where every point counts and you are representing your country.”
British captain Smith admits France represent the toughest test in the competition ahead of their clash in April. He will hope to have world number one Andy Murray back for the tie against a team that boast four players in the world’s top 20.
“France are the strongest team in the competition in terms of depth but we’ll enjoy this right now and then figure it out closer to the time,” he said.
“It’s a surprise what happened at the end there and I do feel for Denis because he’s a great talent and he’s learned a harsh lesson.
“I thought Kyle was fantastic in how he prepared and dominated the match. It’s a really good result, everyone contributed points and that shows the team spirit we have.”
Sportsbeat 2017