Andy Murray secured Great Britain a first Davis Cup title since 1936 thanks to a 6-3 7-5 6-3 victory over Belgium's David Goffin in Ghent this afternoon.
The Scot had put Leon Smith's side 2-1 in front over the last couple of days with a win in straight sets over Ruben Bemelmans on Friday afternoon, before he went on to team up with his elder brother Jamie 24 hours later to topple the Belgian combination of Goffin and Steve Darcis in the doubles.
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It meant that the Scot headed into today's clash against world number 16 Goffin, who had never previously taken a set off Murray, with the knowledge that a win would see Britain triumph in the competition for the first time in 79 years.
He looked to be well on his way when he claimed the opening two sets in just over a couple of hours, only for Goffin to break early on in the third set for a 2-0 lead.
However, Murray's response was immediate as he broke back at the first time of asking and another soon followed to put him in total command of proceedings.
The trophy-clinching moment came on the Goffin serve when Murray, who was 5-3 and 40-30 in front, stretched to produce a lobbed effort that his 24-year-old opponent could only watch sail over his head. A victorious Murray then slumped down on the clay surface, where he was soon the base of a bundle of his British teammates and coaching staff.
It was not only an encounter that saw Britain prosper, it was also a result that means Murray has won all 11 of Davis Cup matches over the course of the year.
Liam Apicella
