"It was bonkers, I don't know what we've all sat through for 9 hours" - Captain Leon Smith on Great Britain reaching Davis Cup Finals last eight

Great Britain captain Leon Smith has expressed his delight at his team making it through to the Davis Cup Finals last eight.

Britain, Australia, France, and Switzerland were taking part in the round-robin event at the AO Arena, in Manchester, England, with the top two teams being guaranteed to go through to the next round.

Before Britain took on France, Australia had confirmed their progression while Switzerland were knocked out, leaving Britain and France to fight for the final spot. Britain began the tie on a strong note when Daniel Evans came from a set down to defeat Arthur Fils.

British No. 1 Cameron Norrie took on Ugo Humbert in the other singles rubber, with a win enough to put Britain through to the final eight. However, Norrie lost 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 7-5 to make the doubles match a winner-takes-all contest.

All eyes were on Evans and Neal Skupski as they took on Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in front of a partisan home crowd. Britain conceded the first set and it looked like they were going to crash out on home soil. However, they staged an incredible fightback.

Evans and Skupski came through two nerve-racking tiebreaks to win the match 1-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(8-6), and confirm Britain's sport in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals.

After the match, Team Great Britain captain Leon Smith stated his delight at winning the crazy tie against France.

"It was bonkers. I don't know what we've all sat through for nine hours," he said. (via BBC)

"Sheer fight. Evo [Daniel Evans] produced an unbelievable performance to win in the singles then to come back and win with me. It is an unbelievable effort from him," he added. (via ATP)

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Great Britain to play either Serbia or Italy next in 2023 Davis Cup Finals

Team Great Britain poses after qualifying for the Final 8 of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals.

Great Britain got the job done in front of a 13,000 crowd — a record for a Davis Cup tie in the United Kingdom. While all the pressure was on Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski heading into their decisive doubles rubber, the latter stated that they remained calm and composed throughout the match.

"There was no panic. We just went to the next point. I knew if we got through that game somehow the momentum was going to swing our way," the reigning Wimbledon doubles champion said. (via BBC)

The draw for the quarterfinals of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals will be made on Tuesday, September 19, with Great Britain set to play either Serbia or Italy next.

Australia, defending champions Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, and the Netherlands complete the Final Eight line-up. The knockout phase of the tournament is scheduled to be played in the Spanish city of Malaga in November.