Doubles defeat ends GB hopes
Great Britain's Davis Cup quarter-final hopes are over after Argentina took an unassailable lead in the World Group tie by winning Saturday's doubles in Buenos Aires.
Trailing 2-0 after day one, Jamie Murray and Ross Hutchins were given the task of keeping the visitors' hopes alive against David Nalbandian and Jose Acasuso.
But the British pair were unable to take their chances, and Nalbandian and Acasuso raced to a 6-2 7-6 (13/11) 6-0 victory.
Doubles specialists Murray and Hutchins struggled to get into the match in the opening set and were clearly second best.
The Argentinians took an early lead in the second set but Britain broke back in the eighth game and held on to force a tie-break.
The breaker followed the pattern of the set, with Nalbandian and Acasuso moving 6-4 ahead only for Murray and Hutchins to level.
The British pair created three set points of their own but could not take them, and the hosts clinched the set 13-11 when Hutchins fluffed a volley.
Argentina pressed home their advantage by breaking Hutchins in the second game of the third set and, after a 40-minute rain delay, quickly wrapped up the win.
