Davis Cup rookie Dan Evans was left with an uphill task to prevent Poland levelling with Great Britain after losing to Jerzy Janowicz.

The 19-year-old from Birmingham took to the court at Liverpool's Echo Arena with Britain 1-0 up in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I relegation play-off thanks to Andy Murray's victory over Michal Przysiezny earlier this afternoon.

Evans was conceding nine inches in height as well as 41 ranking places to his opponent and he immediately found himself facing a break point after a wayward backhand.

Fellow teenager Janowicz, playing his fifth Davis Cup singles rubber, duly converted with a forehand winner and it was clear Evans was going to be up against it as a mammoth second game also went to the Pole.

The British number five got on the board in the third game, and after six games it was all square as a succession of errors from the Janowicz racquet gave Evans a deserved break.

Parity proved to be shortlived, however, as some big-hitting from the Pole gave him the advantage again.

The power difference was starting to tell and, after saving two set points on his own serve, Evans was broken again as Janowicz took the opener 6-3.

Evans, ranked 302nd in the world, set up a break-point opportunity in the opening game of the second set with a lovely backhand pass down the line, and a double fault from Janowicz gave the Briton the early break.

Having broken Evans three times in the opener, though, Janowicz would have been confident of an immediate response, and he promptly levelled matters.

Another break-point chance came and went for Evans in game three but his Polish opponent was not so generous and he broke to love in the sixth game to move 4-2 in front.

Evans dug in to force Janowicz to serve out the set, and the tide looked to be turning when he won the first three points of the next game.

But five points in a row from the Pole gave him the second set 6-3 as a frustrated Evans reflected on what might have been.