Davis Cup 2024: Dan Evans loses before Jack Draper plays for Great Britain against Argentina

After his exploits in New York, Draper is back on home turf and is the centre of attention in Manchester, even without playing.

Now, after becoming the talk of the town and receiving standing ovations as he was introduced to the crowd before the match, the 22-year-old British number one has the chance to make a significant impact on the pitch.

Draper must beat Cerundolo, a clay-court specialist who is ranked 31st in the world, to keep Britain’s hopes of a place on Friday alive with two wins from two matches.

Evans, 34, is the most experienced player in the England squad, which looks fresh again after the retirement of Andy Murray and the absence of Cameron Norrie due to an arm injury.

On the day he surpassed Mike Sangster to move into second place on Britain’s all-time list of most-played Davis Cup matches, Evans was disappointed not to have capitalised on his early chances against Etcheverry.

A gruelling fourth game, in which Evans patiently continued to practise his backhand slice, saw Etcheverry desperately hold on as Evans created four break points.

That he survived them all proved crucial to the match.

Etcheverry felt he had the freedom to attack in the fifth game but quickly took the wind out of Evans’ sails and won the last three games of the opening set.

It has been a tough year for Evans, who has withdrawn from the 150m world championships, and his confidence has plummeted.

Little gets the best out of Evans, as he does in the Davis Cup, and he showed his trademark tenacity to keep a clean sheet in the second set.

It helped him rediscover his serve when the two exchanged serves, but the frustration and vulnerability surfaced again when he lost his serve decisively in the 11th game.

More resistance came as Evans saved five match points – and created three break points – before a relieved Etcheverry eventually served out the win.