Davis Cup Tennis 2016: Friday Scores and Results, Updated Semi-Finals Schedule

Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro secured a thrilling five-set win over Great Britain's Andy Murray on Friday in the Davis Cup semi-finals, as his nation took a 2-0 lead in the tie. 

Del Potro was down two sets to one at one stage, although he won the last two stanzas in style to clinch a 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 victory. Kyle Edmund also surrendered a lead, losing in four sets to Guido Pella.

In the other semi-final, France and Croatia are tied at 1-1, as Richard Gasquet and Marin Cilic both scored comfortable wins in their respective singles matches.

Here is a look at how things are shaping up after Friday’s action and the results in full from the day’s rubbers:

Great Britain 0-2 Argentina	Fixture	Score
Croatia 1-1 France	Fixture	Score
Friday, September 16	Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) bt. Andy Murray	6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4
Friday, September 16	Guido Pella (ARG) bt. Kyle Edmund (GBR)	6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
Saturday, September 17	Andy Murray/Jamie Murray (GBR) vs. Leonardo Mayer/Federico Delbonis (ARG)	TBC
Sunday, September 18	Andy Murray (GBR) vs. Guido Pella (ARG)	TBC
Sunday, September 18	Kyle Edmund (GBR) vs. Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)	TBC
Friday, September 16	Richard Gasquet (FRA) bt. Borna Coric (CRO)	6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-1
Friday, September 16	Marin Cilic (CRO) bt. Lucas Pouille (FRA)	6-1, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-2
Saturday, September 17	Ivan Dodig/Marin Draganja (CRO) vs. Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut (FRA)	TBC
Sunday, September 18	Marin Cilic (CRO) vs. Richard Gasquet (FRA)	TBC
Sunday, September 18	Borna Coric (CRO) vs. Lucas Pouille	TBC

Great Britain 0-2 Argentina

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Murray and Del Potro produced a brilliant opener to this semi-final, as the contest tipped one way and then the next.

It was the Argentina star who started better, although Murray bounced back in the second set. In the battle to move ahead in the third, Del Potro had a chance to serve for the set, although his opponent dug in brilliantly, breaking back and eventually winning a tiebreak.

Former England footballer Gary Lineker was enjoying the Scotsman’s display at this point:

Del Potro has enjoyed an impressive spell lately, even progressing to the final of the Olympics, where he eventually lost to Murray. On Friday, he found his rhythm in the fourth set and was able to overpower Murray, prompting what was set to be a pulsating decider.

Murray is usually so good in these situations, although Del Potro was in brilliant form. And when the Argentinian broke his opponent in the seventh game, there was no way back for the Team GB favourite.

BBC Sport's Piers Newberry praised the eventual winner and a mammoth contest:

"Against Andy you never know when the match will finish," Del Potro said afterward, per BBC Sport. "He is a dangerous player, a fighter and great champion. In end I played good forehands and good serves and that was key."

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In the second match of the day, Edmund looked set to restore parity, taking the first set against Pella. However, perhaps inspired by his compatriot, the Argentinian battled back to take the next two sets, stunning the British crowd.

At the start of a crucial fourth set, Pella grabbed a break at the first opportunity, and despite the home fans' best efforts, Edmund ultimately came up short in his attempts to fight back. 

France 1-1 Croatia

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In the opening rubber, Gasquet got France off to a tremendous start, producing a comprehensive performance to beat Borna Coric.

The Frenchman set the tempo with some brilliant play in the opening set, utilising his excellent backhand to great effect. In the second, Coric did find a rhythm and was able to force a tiebreak. However, after an even tussle, it was Gasquet who took the stanza.

From that point on, Coric cut a demoralised figure. With the swagger of a man who was up two sets, Gasquet romped to the third set, getting the first point on the board of the semi-final.

As we can see, courtesy of doublefault28, Gasquet was happy to soak up the applause of the French fans in attendance:

In the second game of the day, Cilic came out firing against Lucas Pouille, blitzing his way to a 6-1 opening-set win.

The second set was a tighter affair, with Pouille showing the kind of form that saw him eliminate Rafael Nadal at the U.S. Open. But he struggled to gain much impetus on the Cilic serve, and the hard-hitting Croatian went 2-0 up via a tiebreak.

Pouille did manage to get on the board in the fourth set, showcasing some scintillating stuff to halve the deficit. However, Cilic's early break in the fourth was a significant blow, and the former U.S. Open champion saw out the win.