Jack Draper could not inspire Great Britain to a Davis Cup comeback win over Argentina as his first match since reaching the US Open semi-finals ended in defeat.
The British number one was given an electrifying ovation in Manchester but the mood flattened as he went on to lose 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 against Francisco Cerundolo.
Draper’s defeat means the host nation, who trail 2-0 in the best-of-three tie, missed the chance to reach the Davis Cup Finals knockout stage at the earliest opportunity.
British team-mate Dan Evans was beaten 6-2 7-5 by Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first singles match earlier on Friday.
Leon Smith’s squad, who beat Finland on Wednesday, would have progressed with two wins from their opening two ties.
Instead, they are likely to need to beat Canada on Sunday in what could be a nerve-shredding tie.
Britain’s defeat means Group D has been blown wide open and, with Argentina playing Finland on Saturday, any of the four nations could still finish in the top two.
Only two teams from the Manchester group will progress to the ‘Final Eight’ event which takes place between 19-24 November in Malaga.
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