Taylor buoyant

Britain lost 3-2 to unfancied Ecuador on Wimbledon's No1 court, a team that former skipper David Lloyd said could be beaten by ''the blind school.''

Trailing 2-1 overnight following Saturday's doubles defeat, Tim Henman kept the hosts' hopes alive with his second straight sets singles win, beating world No 11 Nicolas Lapentti 6-1 6-4 6-4.

But British No 3 Arvind Parmar, making his singles debut in the competition, then let slip a two sets to nil lead to lose to 17-year-old Giovanni Lapentti, a player ranked a lowly 959th in the world.

That match ended in controversy with a disputed line call but that did little to hide the fact that Britain had in effect lost to one family, the Lapentti brothers earning all three points over the weekend in Ecuador's first ever Davis Cup tie on grass.

Everything had appeared in Britain's favour when the draw for the tie was made, a home draw against South American clay court specialists heavily dependent on one player, played on grass, the favourite surface of Britain's best two players and the least favoured of Ecuador.

But Britain now drop back down into the Euro/African Zone Group One with prospective opponents there including Ireland, the Ivory Coast, Slovenia or Belarus, a prospect unlikely to fill Henman and Rusedski with much enthusiasm, and no place for a team with potentially two of the world's top ten players to be.

''Arvind gave everything but let it slip somehow. At the beginning of the third set he was so far on top,'' said Taylor.

''He is devastated, we all are. To be in that position and lose the match is something you can't believe. It means so much to all of us and Arvind is feeling pretty down at the moment.

''It's a tie we should have won but Davis Cup tennis is like that. There were some stupid remarks made about Ecuador but everybody watching has realised how good and tough they are and what athletes they are.

''Everyone in the world is improving and we are trying to stay with them.

''Euro/African zone matches are tough but it's possible to get back in this division again. We are beaten but not bowed.''

Henman admitted everything had been in the home side's favour, adding: ''We only have ourselves to blame. We had everything we could have asked for and we did not deliver.

''It's enormously disappointing. I made it pretty clear at the start of the week the level of importance I put on this tie.

''We have to accept where we are and we have two options. We can pull out and not bother next year or go out there and fight for everything we can get because the world group is where we belong.

''Maybe not in the overall picture but, with the players we've got - myself, Greg, Arvind and Jamie (Delgado) - that's where we deserve to be.

''The greatest thing we have to take away from this is the doubles. We should have won all four singles but we should also be able to rely on the doubles team and we haven't been able to do that.

''It's asking a lot to win three out of four singles.''

Where that doubles partnership comes from is a different matter but Henman said he was prepared to play doubles occasionally on the ATP circuit in an effort to find a partner.

''It's not what I would like but it has to be done,'' the 25-year-old added.

''Davis Cup is very important to me and it's not good enough to play some practice doubles sets the week before a tie.''

The post mortem into the defeat was swiftly conducted at the All England Club with the Lawn Tennis Association's Director of Tennis Richard Lewis sidestepping questions about resigning.

''It's too soon to comment on that on the evening of an emotional Davis Cup defeat,'' said Lewis, who bears responsibility for helping produce world-class British players along with Patrice Hagelauer, the LTA's performance director. "Nobody is more disappointed and frustrated than me.''

Chief executive John Crowther added: ''The LTA has a strategy, knows where it's going, but I personally am going to go back to the drawing board."