Britain KO’D by France in the Davis Cup last eight – but Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot go down fighting in the doubles

WELL, at least Britain went down fighting.

But Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot could not prevent the first two-day defeat of Leon Smith’s reign as Davis Cup captain.

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The British pair lost 7-6 5-7 7-5 7-5 to France’s Nicolas Mahut and Julien Benneteau in a hard-fought, close match which turned on just a few points.

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But turn it did, and Britain fell to a 3-0 defeat for the first time since March 2009, when the team lead by John Lloyd was beaten in the Ukraine with a day of singles matches to spare.

The doubles rubber is always pivotal to Davis Cup ties and Britain’s recent success has been built on winning matches on Saturdays in the three-day ties.

Team GB had come out on top in 17 of their last 19 matches, and both of those had been lost to legendary American pair Mike and Bob Bryan.

Just as in the opening singles match, Britain had chances to make life even more difficult for their French hosts.

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The first set had no break points until the 11^th game, and when three of them came, returner Inglot was unable to make any count.

And in the tiebreak which followed, the British pair led 4-1, just as Kyle Edmund had done in the second-set breaker against Lucas Pouille.

Inglot was again the more culpable as the French saved another set point then converted their second.

But just as it seemed harsh but fair to observe that Inglot was the only player on court not to have won a Grand Slam doubles title, he delivered the first break of serve of the match in its 24^th game.

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Inglot produced a topspin forehand lob that you know who would have been proud of and the older Murray brother took full advantage by serving out to level things up at a set apiece.

Had the momentum changed? It felt like it when the Brits saved two break points on Murray’s serve,  immediately broke Mahut to take a 3-2 lead in the third set and dug themselves out of a hole in the following game as well.

But a netted volley by Inglot allowed France to break back for 4-4 and a double fault by Murray on the third break point of the 12^thgame put the home side back in the driving seat.

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The fourth set returned to the pattern of the first, with no breaks of serve and not even a break point until the 12^th game when they were chances for France to claim the tie.

The Brits saved the first but Murray’s volley agonisingly clipped the tape and fell the wrong side of the net on the second, and that was that.

Sunday’s reverse singles matches will be dead rubbers and Britain will have to go again in next year’s first round.