He reached the Davis Cup quarter-finals after Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski showed their quality to win a decisive rubber double against the Czech Republic.
Knowing England would be out if they lost, Salisbury and Skupski won 6-4 6-2 over Czech pair Jiri Vesely and Tomas Machac in Innsbruck, Austria.
It finished the fight with Cameron Norrie winning after Dan Evans lost.
Leon Smith’s team will now face Germany in the final round of eight on Tuesday.
Germany, which does not have ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev, topped Group F after beating Austria on Sunday.
England’s place in the last eight was hanging in the balance going into the doubles, with Evans losing to an awe-inspiring Machac before Norrie secured a win over Jiri Lehecka.
Those results leave two-time Grand Slam men’s doubles champions Salisbury and experienced Skupski, both ranked in the world’s top 20, in need of wins to claim the top spot in Group C.
“Today was tough. You look at the standings and people think it’s very simple, but in the Davis Cup it was never like that,” said England captain Smith.
“I’m so happy for these boys [Salisbury and Skupski]. To go out and play as well as they say a lot. We demand passion, determination and quality go after that. I am really proud of them. “
If Salisbury and Skupski lose and England are beaten 2-1 in a three-stage group game, that won’t be enough to be one of the two best runners-up.
They will be second in the group because the Czech Republic will have a higher percentage of winning sets in the 18-country finals.
Salisbury and Skupski, who together won the ATP title in San Jose last month, are the overwhelming favorites, but lost in the rubber doubles to France on Saturday.
After the pair faced off in the first set on Sunday, they continued to boost their confidence and play with cohesion on their way to a leading win.
Skupski took home the win, with Vesely knocking one leg down on match scores, as the British team – making noise in a quiet arena with no fans because of coronavirus restrictions in Austria – celebrated jubilantly. flushed.
A tight first set turned the English duo around as two double errors from Vesely contributed to a 5-4 break and Salisbury was served.
The second set saw Salisbury and Skupski tighten their siege, breaking in the first game before taking a 4-1 lead and ending the victory with some problems.
“We wanted to start with a lot of energy and positivity and play for free. In the end it certainly worked,” Skupski said.
Salisbury, who won his first Davis Cup point after making his debut this year, said the moment felt “very special”.
“It’s a great atmosphere even though we don’t have fans here. Our support team is making it like a great atmosphere even if no one else is here” , world number three added.
“Playing for your country and winning is something special.”
Norrie’s level after Evans defeat gives England work to do
Britain’s campaign at the Davis Cup Finals – which saw group ties held in Innsbruck, Turin and Madrid before the semi-finals and final take place in the Spanish capital – has been grounding perfected by victory for Evans in Saturday’s opening game against France. .
But the world No 25 was unable to replicate that performance against Machac, who will make his Davis Cup debut this week.
Evans’ expression, one filled with amazement and shock, showed his nervousness after the first set, where he was overwhelmed by Machac’s amazing high level.
After Evans’ frustration flared up in the first game of the second set with a racquet smash, he began to improve.
The British number two’s level continued to rise until he served the set 5-3, hit two forehands first and hit another shot into the net to break again.
All momentum Evans regained was quickly lost as Machac took control, winning the last five games to mark the biggest success, by rank, of his career.
That means Norrie needs to win for England – without Andy Murray resting – to have any chance of being top of the table.
Norrie, ranked 12th in the world after a fantastic season, looked set to win the set in a row as he made it past the first round in 29 minutes.
With her unrelenting strength, Norrie made only two irreparable errors when she broke Lehecka’s serve three times.
However, there is a stark contrast in the second episode. When Norrie suddenly started misfire and it allowed Lehecka to take a 5-1 lead before calmly serving to close the gap.
But the 26-year-old Briton regained control of the decider, using his experience and conviction from a great year to mark victory.
‘England pleases everyone who contributes’ – analysis
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent in Innsbruck
The UK doesn’t dominate either of these relationships, but they totally deserve it.
Leon Smith very rarely fails to make it to the quarterfinals and the captain will be especially pleased with everyone who has made it.
Cameron Norrie has a 100% record; Dan Evans got the team off to a good start against Adrian Mannarino of France on Saturday; and Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski were sharp as England’s future in the Final was so clear.
The players love their hotel in the mountains and they’re used to the pace of these pitches, so they’ll be happy to stay at Innsbruck in the quarter-finals.
But they will certainly move on Wednesday. Return to the UK or return to Madrid for Friday’s semi-final.
