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GHENT. — Great Britain won the Davis Cup tennis title for the first time in 79 years in Ghent yesterday when Andy Murray defeated David Goffin 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 in the first of the reverse singles to take an unbeatable 3-1 lead over Belgium. It was a fitting climax for the 28-year-old Scot to provide the winning point, having won all 11 rubbers he played in during the campaign as the British defeated heavyweights United States, France and Australia before the clincher against Belgium.

The win over Goffin made him just the third player, after John McEnroe and Mats Wilander, to win all eight singles in the same calendar year since the Davis Cup World Group started in 1981.

And it underpinned Murray’s place in tennis history following his headline-making wins in the 2012 US Open and Olympics, and at Wimbledon the following year. “I never thought we would have the opportunity to do this and I can’t believe we have done it. Everyone who has played has played an unbelievably high level,” Murray said courtside immediately after his triumph.

“We have to enjoy this because we may never get the opportunity again. “The Australian Open is next. I have lost in the final four times. I need to learn a few things about how I have handled this weekend. I will try to do that in Australia.

“I will enjoy this one.”

The match-up of the two national number ones came after both had won their opening singles on Friday and Murray had teamed up with brother Jamie the following day to defeat Goffin and Steve Darcis in the doubles.

It was do or die for Goffin and Belgium against the world number two who had yet to drop a single set against the 16th ranked Belgian in previous games. But it was a tense and edgy start from both players in front of a raucous 13 000 capacity crowd at the Flanders Expo centre where a claycourt had been laid down in an effort to blunt Murray’s firepower.

It was the world number two, though, who landed the first blow, breaking the Goffin serve to love in the sixth game and that proved enough for him to take the set 6-3 in 48 minutes on his fourth set point. The second set turned out to be the key to the final. Murray held serve with ease, while Goffin hung on grimly. — AFP.