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Andy and Jamie Murray give U.K. 2-1 lead at Davis Cup Final

Great Britain's fans chant prior the Davis Cup final doubles tennis match between Belgium and Great Britain at the Flanders Expo in Ghent, Belgium, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Great Britain's fans chant prior the Davis Cup final doubles tennis match between Belgium and Great Britain at the Flanders Expo in Ghent, Belgium, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Gent, Belgium: The Davis Cup is billed as the World Cup of tennis. Comparing the format, it's easy to understand. But atmosphere? It's almost comical trying to imagine a tennis match feeling like anything close to a World Cup soccer match.

Yet somehow as the Murray brothers took the court opposite David Goffin and Steve Darcis Saturday afternoon in Gent, Belgium, for the Davis Cup Final doubles match, there was as much chanting, fanfare, and national pride on display as you'd find when Brazil and Argentina face off on a soccer pitch.

Dressed head to toe in red, white and blue, the Union Jack printed across cowboy hats and scarves, towels, earrings, anything you could wave or wear, British fans swarmed into the Flanders Expo. Even their chants were borrowed from soccer, with Brits screaming, “I, I believe, I believe that, I believe that we will in." Three carried brass horns, setting the tune as their friends belted out, “Oh when the saints, oh when the saints…” All seemed anxious to see the U.K. claim its first Davis Cup title since 1936.

Belgian fans came equally fired up, hoping to see their country’s first title in the 115-year history of the event. The king and queen greeted the players on the court the first day; Kim Clijsters has been in the stands throughout.

Even the venue is unique for the tennis world: an expo hall with a 13,000-person capacity, fans sitting in metal bleachers set up around a temporary clay court. The ceiling is 10 feet lower than regulation, the height amplifying the sounds of the drums and horns, and the DJ just can’t get enough of 80s dance tunes.

Belgium's fans chant prior the Davis Cup final doubles tennis match between Belgium and Great Britain at the Flanders Expo in Ghent, Belgium, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Belgium's fans chant prior the Davis Cup final doubles tennis match between Belgium and Great Britain at the Flanders Expo in Ghent, Belgium, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

To earn the massive trophy, a team must win three of five potential matches over the course of the three-day event. Goffin, the No. 16 men’s singles player in the world and Belgium’s best hope here, claimed the first point with a comeback win over Davis Cup newcomer Kyle Edmund on Friday afternoon. No. 2 Andy Murray then took one back for the U.K. with a straight-set win over Ruben Bemelmans.

While Edmund said he struggled to concentrate in the rowdy venue, Murray said the atmosphere actually helped him – the extended cheering at each point gave him more time to recover between serves. That meant he wouldn’t be as tired as he could have been heading into Saturday’s doubles match.

As the Murrays took on Goffin and Darcis, each side looked to take the overall 2-1 advantage heading into Sunday’s deciding matches.

Foam fingers burst into the air with every point, red for Belgium and blue for the U.K. The bleachers shook slightly as the Murrays faced break point at 4-all in the first set. But Darcis couldn’t handle Andy’s serve, and at deuce Jamie sliced a backhand just out of Goffin’s reach. An ace from Andy and the U.K. took the 5-4 lead in the set. The Murrays broke serve in the next game, taking the first set, 6-4.

At one-all in the second, the home crowd erupted as the Belgians earned a break-point opportunity on Jamie’s serve. Goffin nailed a volley at the net to convert and take the 2-1 lead. The set would stay on serve from there, ending with the Belgians ahead 6-4 and the match tied at one-all.

Britain's Jamie Murray (R) returns the ball as his teammate Britain's Andy Murray looks on during the doubles tennis match on the second day of the Davis Cup final between Belgium and Britain at Flanders Expo in Ghent on November 28, 2015 (AFP Photo/Philippe Huguen)
Britain's Jamie Murray (R) returns the ball as his teammate Britain's Andy Murray looks on during the doubles tennis match on the second day of the Davis Cup final between Belgium and Britain at Flanders Expo in Ghent on November 28, 2015 (AFP Photo/Philippe Huguen)

In the third, the Belgians again broke serve to take a 2-1 advantage. But this time the Brits answered with a break of their own, setting it back on serve. At 4-3, the duo from Dunblane broke at love to take command of the set. Every Brit in the house seemed to let out a sigh of relief, having heard their collective breath since that first break in the third set. A quick hold, and they had the 2-1 lead in the match.

A Darcis double fault gave the Brits a breakpoint opportunity early in the fourth, and they converted on a forehand error. But the advantage immediately seemed to be lost as Belgium earned back three break points.

The tension in the air confirmed that every fan understood that this moment was critical. The Brits held off, first with Andy slapping a forehand at the net, then forcing deuce with a forehand slam. Belgium earned three more break points, but the brothers refused to go down. At the fourth deuce, Andy showed that he had no interest in keeping this going. He slapped a volley at the net to take Britain’s first advantage, then sealed the final point with a ballerina-esque move as he sent a backhand across his body. A hold to love made it 4-2, then a second break gave Jamie the chance to serve out the 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.

The brothers threw their hands in the air in celebration, hugged, then went to the bench to celebrate with their teammates. Jamie briefly danced along with the fans, who cheered on even as the players attempted their post-match interviews on the court. They only stopped once they realized Andy was trying to thank them.

“The crowd has been fantastic, obviously with everything that was happening in Brussels, I’d like to thank everyone who made the trip to support us,” he said on court. “It’s been a very special few days, tomorrow’s going to be truly tough again. Will be an amazing atmosphere and hopefully we can get the job done.”

As soon as he finished, the makeshift British marching band was back at it, this time belting out, “We’re gonna win the Cup, we’re gonna win the Cup.” On Sunday, Andy will have the chance to secure that third point and, for the first time in 79 years, help the U.K. claim the Davis Cup title.

"It's far from over," Andy said in his press conference. "I still think we have a very good chance in both of the matches tomorrow... But, yeah, I'm not getting ahead of myself. I know how good a player Goffin is."