Brave Evans beaten by Tursunov
Dan Evans fell agonisingly short of another Davis Cup upset as Dmitry Tursunov gave Russia a 1-0 advantage over Great Britain in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I tie at Coventry's Ricoh Arena.
Captain Leon Smith made a late decision to bring Evans into his team at the expense of Jamie Baker, but it was a very difficult ask for the world number 325 against a player ranked 258 places higher.
Evans more than justified his selection with another hugely impressive display but it was not quite enough as Tursunov prevailed 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-4 5-7 6-4 after three hours and 56 minutes.
Smith's decision was influenced strongly by Evans' performances in the competition last year, particularly against Slovakia in February, when he beat two players ranked a lot higher than himself to win the tie for Britain.
He then showed a similar level against Belgium, although this time without the victories.
Russia was another step up, with Tursunov not just a high-level player but a hugely experienced one with seven ATP Tour titles to his name.
Evans' talent has never been in doubt but he has failed to produce the same level of tennis when the spotlight is not on him and is ranked lower now than he was for the Slovakia tie.
The 22-year-old was dropped from the Lawn Tennis Association's top level of funding for 2013 and overlooked for this tie before Smith's change of heart.
