Lloyd faces key decision on Murray brothers

GREAT Britain's future in the World Group of the Davis Cup is in the balance this morning, with their tie against Austria standing at 1-1 after the opening day's singles.

Which way the contest tips will depend on the Murray brothers, who are involved in two of the three remaining rubbers, but also on the captain, John Lloyd.

After watching Andy Murray defeat Alexander Peya of Austria 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 on No1 court, Lloyd has to decide whether to team up the world No4 with his elder brother Jamie, or whether to rest him from today's doubles and keep him fresh for a potentially decisive confrontation tomorrow with Jurgen Melzer.

The Austrian No1, who beat Alex Bogdanovic 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the first match yesterday, came very close to eliminating Andy from the US Open, and will be an altogether tougher opponent than Peya.

At present Jamie is due to be partnered by Ross Hutchins in this afternoon's doubles, but Lloyd has until noon today – an hour before the scheduled start of play – to change his mind.

The matter is complicated by the fact that Melzer himself is also due to play today, alongside Julian Knowles. Does that mean that Lloyd would be better off resting his top player in order to give him a fitness edge over Melzer, or can he play the Murray brothers, confident that the Austrian No1 will not have a day off either?

The rule of thumb is that you use your best players when they are available, and Lloyd has been reassured this week that Andy and Jamie are able and willing to play together after they were reported to have fallen out in New York. After yesterday's close of play, however, the captain was giving little away, publicly at least.

"I still don't know yet," Lloyd said. "We've got three good teams. We really haven't spoken about it yet – we will this evening.

"It's always a big match, the doubles, but if it doesn't go our way I feel we can win both the singles as well. But obviously we're up for it."

The relative ease with which the younger Murray disposed of Peya is one factor which will make Lloyd feel he can pick the brothers to play together today. After breaking his opponent in the opening game, the Scot was rarely troubled, and he wrapped up the victory in just over an hour and 45 minutes. Playing for the first time since his loss to Roger Federer in the final of the US Open, Murray showed only glimpses of his best form, for the simple reason that he did not have to do more. What he did have to do was complete the match in a business-like manner, and he did that almost perfectly.

His only wobble of note came with the finishing line in sight, when he had just broken Peya to go 4-2 up in the third set.

A lapse in concentration by Murray allowed the Austrian to break back immediately, but the British No1 himself then broke back before wrapping up the rubber in the next game.

"I felt good," Murray said. "I knew I was expected to win this match, so I wanted to get off to a good start. I did, and as the match went on I felt I could move a little more comfortably than I could at first. I had to try and stay focused the whole match and I just about managed to do it."

While Lloyd planned to settle on his doubles team last night, Murray reserved the right to see how his troublesome knee feels when he wakes up this morning.

"If everything goes to plan and I feel good tomorrow I'll probably play," he said.

"My knee hurts for the first few days when I switch surface. By tomorrow it will be a full week since I first hit on grass."

The position could have been a whole lot brighter for Britain had Bogdanovic been able to capitalise on an excellent start against Melzer. After winning the first set he went 4-1 up in the second, and had two break points for a 5-1 lead, but faded after being unable to go two sets clear.

"It was a little bit of a turning point," Bogdanovic conceded. "When he got through that set he stepped up a level.

"I started off really well. I felt if I'd won that second set anything could happen.

"After that he started to serve a lot better, be more aggressive. I wasn't getting tired or anything, but in best-of-five-set matches there are different momentums, and after the second set he got his momentum."

That sixth game of the second set looked like the only turning point rather than "a little bit" of one, but Melzer agreed with Bogdanovic on that point, albeit for a different reason.

"Once I found my rhythm I was by far the better player," he said. "Even if I had lost the second-set tiebreak, for example, I think I would have won. I'd found my rhythm. He didn't seem too fit to me.

"I improved a lot through the match. "It was a lot of pressure on my shoulders – I knew I had to win. I was struggling a bit, but I got my game together and I'm proud I pulled it off.

"I knew I'm the fitter player and he looked pretty tired after two sets. Once I got on to his backhand he was falling apart."

Great Britain must hope that Bogdanovic does not do anything similar if the outcome of the contest comes down to the clash between him and Peya tomorrow afternoon.

Great Britain v Austria

• Results

Jurgen Melzer (Aut) bt Alex Bogdanovic (Gbr) 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 6-1

Andy Murray (GB) bt Alexander Peya (Aut) 6-4 6-1 6-3

Great Britain level with Austria 1-1

• Remaining matches

Today, 1pm: Jamie Murray and Ross Hutchins v Jurgen Melzer and Julian Knowles (teams can be changed up to an hour before the start of play)

Tomorrow, 11am: Andy Murray v Jurgen Melzer. Followed by Alex Bogdanovic versus Alexander Peya