Davis Cup result:

J DELGADO GB v N OKUN Isr

3-6 4-6 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 3-6

Overall match score: GB 1-3 Israel

Interview: Israel's Noam Okun & captain Eyal Ran

Interview: GB captain Jeremy Bates

By Charlie Henderson

Fifth set

"A fantastic performance from Okun and Israel deserved to win. It was a tremendous effort to close out that fifth set, he looked physically tired but raised his game. I feel sorry for Delgado, he gave his all. The quality of the tennis was amazing considering the tension."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 3-6 Okun
Delgado pushes two returns out as Israel close in on a memorable Davis Cup win. The Briton lets rip with an inside out backhand to keep himself in the game but the Israeli team and fans erupt in triumph when a long rally, with both players being pushed wider and wider on their backhands, ends with Delgado netting.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 3-5 Okun
Delgado sends down two aces and forces Okun to serve out for the match to give Israel victory.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 2-5 Okun
It looks like it's time for the LTA to start leafing through a guide to Kiev to pick out a hotel to book for that September relegation play-off against Ukraine. Okun makes hard working of holding his serve, but hold he does and he has turned the set around winning four games in a row.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 2-4 Okun
Okun's found his second wind. He clubs a return down the line and then a cross-court winner to go 30-love up. A Delgado return drifts long and the 28-year-old Okun has three break points. He needs just one as Delgado nets a backhand volley.

"Delgado's standard has improved so much from the first two sets when he was getting overpowered. He has served better, his volleys have been excellent, he's mixed things up and the physical element has been superb, he looks in tremendous shape."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 2-3 Okun
Delgado has the partisan support up out of their seats as he chases down a shot and flashes the return over the net from an acute angle. Both men are playing to the peak of their powers and it is Okun who has the edge holding from deuce in a tight game.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 2-2 Okun
Uh oh. A ninth double fault from Delgado helps Okun on his way to two break points. He saves the first with a stabbed forehand down the line with Okun commited the other way at the net and the second with a cross-court volley, but from deuce Delgado puts a half-volley in the net and Okun breaks back.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 2-1 Okun
A wonderful winner from the net that wrong foots Okun and then a deep return that confounds the Israeli give Delgado a break point. He takes it with a glorious backhand that arrows into the corner of the court off a second serve. He races back to the chair, clenching his fist as he goes, accompanied by the delirious cheers of the crowd.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 1-1 Okun
Delgado puts in a solid service game and also holds to 30.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 0-1 Okun
The action resumes after Okun returns from a comfort break. Maybe the time away from the court helped him regain his composure as he resembles more than man who started the match so well as opposed to the bedraggled, listless figure of the last set. He holds to 30.

"Okun's got to go at Delgado and raise his game - he can't get much worse. Delgado knows his opponent will come at him with all guns blazing and he's got to move his feet and be ready."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Fourth set

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 Okun
A terrible, tired shot as Okun drags an easy overhead into the base of the net. In stark contrast Delgado is playing on his toes and is racing around the court chasing down every ball. No need to with the final point of the set as he levels the match with an ace.

"Okun was swinging from the hip there and Delgado's job is to play a solid game and get ready for the beginning of the fifth when Okun will come at him big time."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 5-2 Okun
What a return. Delgado pings a forehand service return into the corner down the line and Okun is standing stationary watching the shot whistle by. But he picks himself up and holds to 30 to at least make Delgado serve for the set.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 5-1 Okun
"Keeping going Del" says GB skipper Jeremy Bates, and keep going 'Del' does. He's powering through this fourth set at a rate of knots. There's a blip when he nets a backhand and pushes a forehand wide to concede two game points, but a 5-1 fourth-set lead is soon his when Okun swings an air-shot at a serve.

"This is quite incredible. Okun was two sets to love and looking solid in the third, but now it has all reversed and it's amazing how quickly it can happen. There's a definite chance that the whole thing could come down to the fifth match. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but let's be optimistic."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 4-1 Okun
Delgado's never won a match from two sets down but if he ever is this is the perfect opportunity, let alone time. In boxing parlance Okun's on the ropes and Delgado is showing no respite as he goes in for the kill. He wastes two break points pushing backhands into the tramlines but makes amends on his third break point as Okun nets.

"Okun's talking to himself, he's sloppy, the footwork seems to have goen and it looks as if the doubts are creeping in. Jeremy Bates and Delgado will be spotting that sort of thing and they can feed off that."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 3-1 Okun
Another of those long-running rallies goes Delgado's way as Okun pushes a forehand wide and a feature of the game is points ending with errors from the Israeli. He stretches to reach a backhand but Delgado shouts "get out" at the flighted return and the ball obeys giving Delgado the game.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 2-1 Okun
It's a draining day out there but the players are not the only people calling on all their reserves to perform to their best. A percussionist in the crowd is thumping out a sustained, powerful beat when the action stops and gives a real drum roll as Delgado breaks. A wonderful forehand, after a flourishing wind-up, seals the game. Okun's looking tired.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 1-1 Okun
Okun overtakes Delgado in the unforced errors count 29-28 as the Briton draws level in the fourth set, conceding just the one point in the process.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 0-1 Okun
After getting a vigourous rub down on his legs at the change over and swapping his shirt from orange to white, Okun comes out and sends down three successive aces before winning to 15. Devonshire Park is somewhat more subdued than at the end of that tie-break.

Third set

"The momentum has now switched in Delgado's favour. Okay, he's two sets to one down but if he gets an early break he can set the tone in the fourth set. There's a positive feel to this match."
John Lloyd

Delgado 3-6 4-6 7-6 Okun
The first three points go against serve and it is advantage Delgado at 2-1. He maintains that one-point lead after his two service points before an Okun ace squares it up at 3-3. But Delgado takes a mini-break off the next point and leads 5-4 after winning one and losing the other of his service points. "This point Del," urges British skipper Jeremy Bates, but "this point" goes instead to that man Okun with a great forehand winner. Devonshire Park goes bonkers as Delgado conjures a winner out of nothing to give him set point at 6-5. The next point does not live up to the two that went before but the crowd do not care as Okun nets and Delgado wins the tie-break 7-5 and the set after 61 minutes.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 6-6 Okun
There is renewed hope in the crowd as Okun nets a backhand to give Delgado the first point. They're edging forward again to leap off their seats as Delgado's drop shot floats though the air, but as it clips the net a falls the wrong side there is a collective groan. The Briton fails to win another point and Okun slams a smash into the ground to send us into a tie-break.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 6-5 Okun
A quite brilliant shot from Delgado. He's looking tired but summons up all his energy to sprint forward from the baseline and meet Okun's neat drop shot with a whipped forehand down the line that clips the chalk and wins the game.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 5-5 Okun
"Vamos, vamos" is the cry from Okun as he levels the set with a fierce, flat, backhand volley that wrong foots Delgado.

"That was amazing the way it slipped by so quickly - the first serve just went there. It's almost as if Delgado thought he'd won the set and didn't focus on each point as it came. He has to mentally repair himself at the change over and keep the belief going. He still has a good chance to break, but that's easier said than done. He has to forget about that last game."
BBC analyst John Loyd

Delgado 3-6 4-6 5-4 Okun
You know you've won the hearts of the crowd when they come out with a nickname for you and that's what has happened here. "Come on Jamie" is soooooo last set. "Come on Jimbo" is what it's all about now, but Jimbo blows it. From 40-love up he wastes three set points, dragging a forehand wide and dumping two backhand volleys into the net, and then another from deuce with a double fault. Okun wins the only break point he needs.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 5-3 Okun
Okun stops the Delgado charge and will now focus all his energies on breaking back.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 5-2 Okun
Delgado wins another game to love and the crowd are going through their full repertoire of musical accompaniments. The Brit has now won 10 points in a row and his team-mates, including Andy Murray who has discarded his super-sized neck brace, are up on their feet.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 4-2 Okun
Those "Come on Jamie" shouts of encouragement have more of a desperate urgency about them, but they are doing the trick and Delgado earns himself three break points. He finally breaks his rival as Okun pushes a volley long. Hope springs eternal.

"You have to hope Okun's level drops as that's really the only chance Delgado has got. It is hard to see what weapons he has to get through Okun who is the boss of this match."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 3-6 4-6 3-2 Okun
The 29-year-old Delgado cruises into a 40-love lead but then it all gets a bit edgy as Okun comes back into things and is helped on his way by another double fault, but the Brit finally holds to 30.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 2-2 Okun
Okun makes light work of that game. Four points and he holds to love easy as that.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 2-1 Okun
Delgado digs deeper than ever. A sixth double fault gives Okun three break points but the Brit saves them all and then another from deuce before holding.

"The main difference between the players has been the serve. One is a weapon, while Delgado's has been a liability at times. He has a low first-serve percentage and there have been double faults on crucial points."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 3-6 4-6 1-1 Okun
Fortune is smiling on Delgado as a mis-hit loops up off the frame of the racket, bamboozles Okun and lands in. The home favourite gets a break point but cannot convert. The opening closes all too quickly and Okun pulls through.

Delgado 3-6 4-6 1-0 Okun
Delgado holds from deuce but his walk back to the chair en route to changing ends lacks urgency or energy despite the best efforts of the crowd, who most certainly have not given up hope.

Second set

Delgado 3-6 4-6 Okun
Delgado does get two second serves to open the game but does nothing with them and goes 30-love down. With that cushion in hand Okun makes no mistake and goes two sets up as his opponent pushes a backhand long. The whistles, horns and drums are beginning to sound more like a dirge the longer this goes on.

"This is one of the biggest matches in Israel's Davis Cup history and this game is vital. Okun's liable to feel a bit tight so Delgado has to threaten and do some damage, particularly on his second serve. Let's see what Okun's got."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 3-6 4-5 Okun
A first ace for Delgado opens the game as he looks to stay in the set. He does so easily, holding to love for the first time which he wraps up with a second ace.

Delgado 3-6 3-5 Okun
Delgado just cannot get on level terms. Okun holds to love with an impressive service game.

Delgado 3-6 3-4 Okun
Okun roars in delight as he whips a backhand cross-court winner beyond the advancing Delgado. But the Brit bounces back from love-30 - again - and holds from deuce with a forehand winner. It is the first time he has held his serve from the sunny end, although he may have been helped by the light clouds rolling in over Eastbourne.

Delgado 3-6 2-4 Okun
"Yeaaah!" That's the sound of Delgado as Okun nets the first point of the game. Has he woken from his afternoon siesta? It looks that way as he earns three break points after a rally that includes two fortuitous net cords. But Okun is infuriated by what he deems a poor line call and in turn raises his game. "Come on!" That's the sound of Okun as Delgado nets the final point of the game.

Delgado 3-6 2-3 Okun
Delgado laughs in the face of the evil spirit of the crow and comes back from love-30 to win the next four points. He's hanging in here and returns to his chair where an animated Jeremy Bates looks to cajole the best out of him. On the other side of the umpire's chair Okun changes from one orange shirt into a fresh one.

Delgado 3-6 1-3 Okun
The sound of seagulls have been the order of the day - when the whistles and horns haven't been drowning them out - but now it's the turn of a shrill crow. The crow is considered a bad omen and it's all going wrong here for Delgado. He finally wins a point on the Okun serve but that's all. He pushes a backhand volley wide with the court open and then sends a return long. It's his turn to groan now and it is a cry of despair.

Delgado 3-6 1-2 Okun
Another double fault from Delgado - his fifth - as he loses to love. The Brit is yet to win a service game from the sunny end of the court. Okun gives a primeval groan of delight as he jumps into a backhand winner that powers past Delgado and then jauntily jogs back to his chair after his opponent pushes a shot long.

Delgado 3-6 1-1 Okun
Anything you can do I can do better. The capped Okun wins a second successive service game to love.

Delgado 3-6 1-0 Okun
Whatever Jeremy Bates said has got Delgado back on track. He bounces back from losing the first point to win to 15 in a run of points that includes a sumptuous backhand winner down the line.

First set

Delgado 3-6 Okun
Okun earns himself three set points but only needs the one. The key stat from that set is that Delgado only got 35% of his first serves in. He is in intense conversation with captain Jeremy Bates and will need to correct the fault.

"That's a pity. He's worked too hard in this set to give away a game like that."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 3-5 Okun
New balls but Delgado's struggling to get them in on his first serve. He claws two break points back, and a third after a double fault but not a fourth after another double fault when he serves - you guessed it - another double fault.

"It's a good match and the quality of tennis is good. Delgado's varying his game and being aggressive and that's what he's got to do. He looks like he means business. If he loses he loses."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 3-4 Okun
The right-handed Okun has found a good groove with his serve and fires down a third ace which swings away from the Delgado forehand, but he fails to convert the game points he earns pushing two backhands out. He finally closes out from deuce.

Delgado 3-3 Okun
It's all square as the bald but bearded Delgado digs deep to battle through a tight, tense game and wins it after a rally that at one stage seems as if it could last until next Tuesday. He stretches to return an attempted lob and Okun nets the backhand return.

"That's fired up the crowd. He's giving them some passion which is what Bogdanovic didn't do on Friday."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 2-3 Okun
Okun goes off the boil at inexplicable speed and patchy tennis on his part gives Delgado two break points. He's soon bubbling again and saves them both only to run out of steam again as Delgado breaks from deuce. The Brit is pumped and so are the punters as they crank up the noise again.

Delgado 1-3 Okun
Okun's backhand into the net earns all the whistling razzamatazz that the crowd can muster. There are more whistles and horns in this leafy part of the south coast than at the Notting Hill Carnival. A double fault gifts Okun break point and he duly takes advantage. Silence.

"There's not an easy quick method to this for Delgado, he's got to break him down. Okun's a solid player."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

Delgado 1-2 Okun
It must be pretty dispiriting when a good shot wins a point but is greeted with only a sprinkling of applause, but that is the life of an Israeli in Eastbourne this weekend. Okun races through another service game.

Delgado 1-1 Okun
The Brit levels and opts to serve and volley on the point which wraps things up. It's a solid if unspectacular opening service game with much longer rallies than previously.

Delgado 0-1 Okun
Shouts of "Come on Jamie" pepper the breaks in play in Okun's service game which opens with an ace. Another wraps up the game, although it's a bit of a mixed bag service wise with a double fault thrown in to the pot as well.

Build-up

1310 BST: The warm-up is nearing a conclusion. Both men have worked up a decent sweat and hopefully Delgado has put a good layer of factor 35 on his shiny pate.

1308 BST: And in the head-to-heads Okun leads three-nil. Where's Andy Murray when you need him? Sitting glumly on the sidelines wearing a giant-sized neck brace.

1305 BST: The Briton also loses out when Davis Cup records are compared. Okum has won 13 of his 25 matches in this competition. Delgado has won none of his five.

1301 BST: Jamie Delgado is given a generous welcome by the partisan crowd and will need their support. His ranking is 437 compared to Noam Okun's 270.

"It really would be the Great Escape if Great Britain can get out of this one without their one world-class player."
BBC commentator David Mercer

"Jamie Delgado played extremely well in the doubles and will bring confidence from that. He had a good Wimbledon and I fully expect him to win. But because it's Davis Cup and he has a bad record and he wasn't expecting this and is up against a pretty solid player there is that element of what if."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

1255 BST: The atmosphere's building at a sunny Devonshire Park and the Union Jack sellers outside have clearly been doing a trade as brisk as the breeze.

"Without Andy Murray playing it's a bit of a downer but I'm staying positive and I think Great Britian have a good chance of winning this tie."
BBC analyst John Lloyd

1210 BST: Bad news for Great Britain as it is confirmed that Andy Murray will not play today after injuring his neck and strainig his shoulder in Saturday's doubles defeat. Step forward Jamie Delgado.

The action is scheduled to start in Eastbourne at 1300 BST and the equation is simple for Great Britain - they need to win Sunday's two singles rubbers to overturn a 2-1 deficit in the tie and claim victory.

If Great Britain fail to win both matches they face a September relegation play-off in Euro-Africa Zone Group One against Ukraine in Kiev.