britain 1-1 with aus
GlASGOW: Andy Murray swept to a convincing victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis, but the opening day of Britain's Davis Cup semifinal against Australia finished level at 1-1 on Friday after Bernard Tomic defeated Dan Evans in four sets. Murray put Britain ahead with a 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 win, but a surprise decision to pick the 300th-ranked Evans for the second match failed to deliver as Tomic came through for a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (4), 6-4 victory. Murray, who served 10 aces to Kokkinakis' two, played an aggressive game that was simply too much to handle.
Clement sacked
PARIS: France’s tennis federation has fired its Davis Cup captain Arnaud Clement after growing tension between him and the players. The federation said Friday that Clement, who led France to a runner-up finish in the competition last year, was dismissed because of his “struggles to federate and transcend his best players.”
Goffin wins
BRUSSElS: David Goffin gave Belgium a 1-0 lead over Argentina in their Davis Cup semifinal with a 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-3 win over Federico Delbonis in first singles match.
The 15th-ranked Goffin failed to convert three match points on Delbonis’ serve but sealed the match with an ace in the next game to improve his Davis Cup record to 10-3.
Belgium’s last appearance in the semifinals ended with a 4-1 loss against France in 1999. The hosts last qualified for the final as far back as 1904.