Dan so nearly the man but team in trouble

And desperate now summarises the situation of Team GB in this Euro/Africa tie against Belgium. With Josh Goodall also losing, to Steve Darcis, Belgium take a 2-0 lead into today's doubles. Britain have not won from such a situation since a comeback against Germany in 1930.

With the doubles and reverse singles to come, Leon Smith's side seem a long way from a World Group play-off spot. Evans, though, seems even further from his ranking of 344th in the world.

The turning point of his defeat by Olivier Rochus, ranked 59th, came in the third-set tie-break when the Englishman pushed a forehand wide at 7-7. It was called out and the 31-year-old Rochus took advantage.

The Belgian's 3-6, 9-7 (7), 6-4, 6-4 victory came at some personal pain. One of the most admirable aspects of the stylish Evans was his inability to take a backward step. Playing strongly off both sides, he pushed Rochus to the very limit, with the Belgian No.1 suffering from cramp in the fourth set. "I was very tired, not feeling good at all," admitted Rochus, who was, though, strong enough to win the last four games of the match.

Evans provided consistent evidence that he is one of the great conundrums of British tennis. He appears to have the skill and the mentality to prosper against opponents ranked very much higher than him, and his showing yesterday franked the impression given when he beat Lukas Lacko and Martin Klizan in the tie against the Slovak Republic.

Smith was delighted with the performance of the Birmingham player. "He was amazing," the captain said. "Dan showed what he is capable of and he should be very proud of himself. He should also now be pushing himself to break into a top 100 spot. He has that talent. He has the confidence, too."

Evans said: "I am disappointed that I lost but it was another good performance. Ranking is one thing and level is another. I was not scared to go on the court with Rochus and I knew I could play at the same level as him. My ranking is not where it should be at the moment but I have not had the opportunity to play tournaments."

The defeat of Evans was preceded by Goodall losing the opening rubber to Darcis 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Goodall, against an opponent ranked 185 places higher, played to his best and to a smart gameplan but was eventually overpowered as his weakness on backhand could not compensate for his strength on the forehand. Playing in only his second Davis Cup match in the absence of Andy Murray and the injured Jamie Ward, Goodall held his serve in the opening set before clinching the tie-break 7-2.

Darcis, the world No.68, applied enough pressure on Goodall to break the Englishman's serve once in each of the three subsequent sets. This was enough to seal victory and to define the margin that separates the top 100 from the rest.

Goodall, though, was in optimistic mood after the match. "Over the last 10 months, there has been a massive improvement in my tennis," he said. "If I compare that to my last Davis Cup tie, it was a different league."

Goodall played in two singles matches against Ukraine in 2009 and lost both in straight sets, but was disciplined and focused yesterday.

"I have taken a lot from that match, it has given me a lot of confidence," he said. Goodall, at 26, knows his time for improvement is limited but has set a target of reaching the top 200 in the world by Wimbledon. The arithmetic in the Davis Cup tie means that Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins, the world No.10 pair, have to win today against Ruben Bemelmans and David Goffin to keep the contest alive.

They will be strong favourites to do so but a double victory in the reverse singles looks a remote possibility. Smith, properly, was not conceding defeat last night but his words were spoken in hope rather than expectation.