Scots on track for Davis Cup showdown

Scottish tennis ace Jamie Baker could have the chance to be a hometown hero this weekend as the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas rolls into Glasgow for the second time this year.

Great Britain will meet Hungary in the Europe/Africa zone Group II third round play-off on September 16-18 at Braehead Arena and team captain Leon Smith has included Glaswegian Baker in his five-man squad.

Baker, 25, is one of three Scots involved - alongside world number four Andy Murray and doubles specialist Colin Fleming – with a British victory required to guarantee a return to the Europe/Africa zone Group I for the 2012 season.

Great Britain defeated Luxembourg 4-1 in front of a capacity crowd at Braehead Arena in July. And the support given to the players throughout the last tie prompted the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to reward Glasgow with a second consecutive chance to play host.

The British team, which also includes James Ward and Fleming’s regular doubles partner Ross Hutchins, are firm favourites - but the difficulty of the tie could well hinge on Murray’s availability and fitness.

Hungary defeated Cyprus and Belarus in rounds one and two to set up the promotion decider. The Hungarians’ top singles player, Ádám Kellner, is ranked 218th in the world and will be joined by Attila Balázs, almost 30 places further back.

Neither player has ever reached the first round proper of a grand slam while Britain’s prized possession Murray is into his fifth year inside the world’s top 10 and after another two victories to add to his 12-match unbeaten run in Davis Cup singles competitions.

Linlithgow’s Colin Fleming and Hutchins are expected to line up in the doubles rubber and will hope to repeat some of the scintillating form that helped them reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and the US Open this year.

Team-mate Ward, who has risen to a career high 140th in the world rankings, is the likely choice for two of the singles rubbers and he will head into the tie feeling confident after a solid summer season that included a memorable run to the semi's at Queen’s Club. However, Smith could still yet turn to Baker after the Scot showcased excellent form on the challenger circuit this summer combined with a move more than 100 places up the ATP Rankings to 261st in the last three months.

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