Cameron Norrie seals Davis Cup qualifiers spot for Great Britain
Cameron Norrie defeated Olaf Pieczkowski of Poland 6-4 6-4 to secure Great Britain's place in next year's Davis Cup qualifiers.
Norrie’s assured victory over the world number 484 established an unassailable 3-1 lead for Great Britain after they were forced to recover from the setback of starting the day with an unexpected defeat.
Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, the current Wimbledon doubles champions, were stunned 3-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6) by Karol Drzewiecki and Jan Zielinski and struggled to match the energy of a raucous home crowd.
Their shock defeat meant Norrie had to see off Pieczkowski to avoid a decider on the final day.
Victory in the best-of-five Group One tie means that Great Britain, who are missing Jack Draper after an arm injury ended his season and Jacob Fearnley with a rib issue, go into February’s first round with a chance to win the 2026 tournament.
Defeat against Poland would have forced them into a play-off in February and meant they would risk relegation to World Group Two.
Poland were missing their two highest-ranked players, Kamil Majchrzak and Hubert Hurkacz, through injury, leading to a lopsided tie.
“The most important thing is that we got the job done in a tie like this,” said captain Leon Smith in Gdynia.
Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Norrie beat Tomasz Berkieta in straight sets on the opening day of the tie, while 23-year-old Arthur Fery – a late replacement for the injured Jacob Fearnley – overcame Pieczkowski for his maiden win at the Davis Cup.
“We did a very professional job,” Smith continued. “It was good to get Arthur Fery his debut and it was a winning one which is a great experience for him.
“Then you have Cam Norrie in your team, who is so rich in experience. We didn't drop a set in the singles, which shows the respect we gave the opposition.
“We can look forward now to the draw for next year. I sense there's an appetite for the players to play which is really good, so hopefully we can go with a strong team and try and go as far as we can.”
The draw for next year’s qualifiers will take place after the 2025 eight-team Finals in November. GB will next play in February in a bid to make the second round later in 2026, and fight for a spot in next year’s Finals.
