Kyle Edmund will start GB's Davis Cup final in singles against Belgium
Sunday 29 November 2015 13:34, UK
British debutant Kyle Edmund will face David Goffin in the opening match of this weekend's Davis Cup final with Belgium.
Andy Murray, Jamie Murray and James Ward are also in the team after captain Leon Smith opted to leave out doubles specialist Dominic Inglot and go for three singles players.
GB's No 1 Andy Murray is up against Ruben Bemelmans in the second rubber on Friday in Ghent.
Saturday's doubles will feature Steve Darcis and Kimmer Coppejans against Andy and brother Jamie.
In the reverse singles on Sunday, it will be Goffin against Murray and Bemelmans versus Edmund, who will be only the sixth man in the 115-year history of the event to make a debut in the final.
The British team, in the final for the first time since 1978, are looking to secure their first Davis Cup title since 1936.
The two teams have played each other 11 times in this event, with Britain winning seven. The last time they met was in Braehead, Glasgow, in 2012 with the Belgians recording a 4-1 victory.
Smith has retained Ward for the reverse singles should the tie go to a deciding fifth and final rubber.
The best-of-five tie is taking place at the Flanders Expo with over 1,000 British fans expected to travel to Ghent despite fears over security in the wake of the recent terror atrocities.
Smith admits he had to make 'a very difficult decision' when choosing who would lead off the hot favourites' challenge on Friday morning.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, he said: "It was always going to be a difficult decision who would start at the weekend but the good thing was it coincided with the number two singles players coming into good form.
"James won a challenger in India, Kyle had won a challenger in South America. It was actually a really good situation to be in. I think where Kyle's ranking sits now, and he's very comfortable on this surface, is why we're starting that way. But still a very difficult decision."
And Edmund, who is ranked 100 in the world, hopes to be able to draw on the experience gained in an earlier round this year when he takes on world No 16 Goffin in the opening rubber.
He said: "It's just exciting really. Obviously for myself personally, it's my first match of the Davis Cup for my country. It's exciting itself, the fact it's a final. At the same time it's a team event and the team comes first.
"This is definitely going to be the biggest crowd I've played in front of. Probably the biggest occasion. The experience I've had close to that is probably in Paris in my first round when I played a French guy in front of a loud French crowd. That's my experience in that regard.
"But, yeah, this will definitely be louder, a lot more people watching. It a new experience for me. It's something I'm going to have to learn as I go through the match."
Goffin, 24, who made his Davis Cup debut in Belgium's 4-1 victory over GB in 2012, admits he knows very little of his British opponent.
"I don't know Kyle a lot," he said. "I think he has great potential. On clay he could be a really good opponent tomorrow. He won challengers on clay court and I think he is really talented."
