Johanna Konta and Katie Boulter saluted the support of a fervent home crowd as they helped fire Great Britain to victory over Greece in the Fed Cup.
With GB having defeated Slovenia at the University of Bath a day earlier, the duo carved out a decisive lead for the hosts, with both Konta and Boulter battling their way to hard-fought singles successes.
British number one Konta recovered from a set down to defeat Maria Sakkari 4-6 6-2 6-3 in a gruelling, epic encounter that saw the 27-year-old dig to the depths of her spirit to reign victorious.
“I felt I had to work very hard to bring my level because although at the beginning, I may have started a little more solid, she really raised her level and she was playing far better than me,” said Konta.
“I knew I had to really dig deep and do something to make it a battle.
“It’s quite hard to explain what it feels like to be in front of all this noise and all this support – it’s quite something special and I don’t think I’ll feel anything like it.”
Earlier, 22-year-old Boulter made it two wins from two on her singles debut as she defeated Greece's Valentini Grammatikopoulou 6-3 4-6 6-3.
“That was a little bit dramatic but I put absolutely everything on the line there and fought as hard as I could,” she said.
“If it wasn’t for [the crowd], I don’t know if the result would be the same.”
GB face Hungary on Friday, knowing a victory will take them top of Group A.
Sportsbeat 2019