Ward loses Davis Cup rubber as Lithuania draw level

RICARDAS Berankis has levelled Great Britain's Davis Cup tie with Lithuania after beating James Ward to take the competition into a deciding rubber.

 
TOO MUCH PRESSURE: Jamie Ward loses in straight sets to Ricardas Berankis (Getty Images)

Bernakis' 7-6. 6-3, 6-4 victory over the 23-year-old means British hopes rest with Dan Evans as he takes on Laurynas Grigelis later this afternoon.

On Friday, Ward became the first British player in 13 years other than Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski or Andy Murray to win a live singles rubber when he defeated Grigelis but he could not continue his form against world number 198 Berankis.

And Ward knows he needed to do more to clinch the tie for Great Britain and end the threat of a relegation play-off against either Ireland or Turkey.

"It came down to a few points and he served really well today," said Ward.

"I served well too, but I could have done a bit more on the return and make him play a few more points.

"But there was not much in it, just two breaks. It's tough."

The first set was a tight affair needing a tie-break to decide it but Ward handed it to the Lithuanian with three errors in a row losing 7-4.

The pressure was slowly building on the British number three and the first break of the match duly came in the eighth game of the second set.

Ward had two chances to break back immediately, but he could not take them and 19-year-old Berankis served out for a two-set lead.

Both players had their openings in what proved to be the final set but again it was the Lithuanian who broke through, in the seventh game, and this time he had no trouble clinching victory to draw his country level at 2-2.

Defeat for Britain in Vilnius would be a new low, against a country with only three world-ranked singles players and whose team is made up entirely of teenagers.

But with the home crowd roaring their 18-year-old Grigelis on, Evans will need to improve on his current Davis Cup record of played three, lost three.