Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski won the doubles to give Great Britain an unassailable 3-0 lead over Turkey in Eastbourne.
Doubles duo ensure winning start for captain Smith
Great Britain have secured their first Davis Cup victory in almost three years after Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski combined to defeat Turkey's Haluk Akkoyun and Ergun Zorlu 6-3 6-4 6-4 in Saturday's doubles clash at Eastbourne.
After singles wins for Jamie Baker and James Ward on Friday, Leon Smith's men now hold an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Europe/Africa Zone II relegation decider and have therefore avoided the humiliation of dropping into the bottom tier of the competition.
The home side received a boost before a ball was struck on Saturday, Turkish number one Marsel Ilhan being forced to pull out of the doubles.
He was replaced by Zorlu, meaning the top-50 British pair were facing two players ranked outside the top 1,000.
Superiority
Fleming and Skupski's superiority was clear from the start but it took them until the eighth game to break through, after which they easily clinched the set.
Indeed, the biggest threat to the British pair was a smash from Zorlu that hit Skupski on the side of the head but, although clearly a little shaken, the Liverpudlian was able to continue after a short delay.
Fleming and Skupski - nicknamed "Flemski" - made it four games in a row with another break in the opening game of the second set to take a stranglehold on proceedings.
But, having been utterly dominant on serve in the first set, suddenly Skupski's delivery was under threat, and, having moved to 0-40, the Turks promptly broke straight back.
More break points came and went for the British pair in the fifth game and they had to wait another four games to break through again.
Akkoyun looked the more vulnerable of the Turkish pair, particularly at the net, and it was no surprise when he came unstuck, with Skupski then serving out the set.
Patience
Again they had to bide their time at the start of the third set but, when their first chance came in the seventh game, they took it, Fleming powering away a forehand volley.
The British duo were keen to complete the task and, although they could not quite manage it on their opponents' serve, Fleming made no mistake with his delivery and Skupski clinched the win with an angled volley.
The success was Britain's first since September 2007, when they beat Croatia in Tim Henman's final match to book a place in the World Group.
