Patten and Skupski seal Davis Cup Final 8 spot for Great Britain

Great Britain secured their place at the Davis Cup Final 8 with a straight-sets doubles victory that completed a 3-0 win over Ecuador in their qualifying tie at the Copper Box.

Henry Patten, the world No 1 in doubles, and Neal Skupski, who won the US Open title a week earlier, beat Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo 6-3, 6-4 to close out the contest with the minimum of fuss.

It was only the second occasion the pair had lined up together rather than against each other, yet the match had the look of a well-drilled partnership from the outset.

The result meant Great Britain did not need to play a potential fourth rubber, with the tie already effectively settled after both singles matches went the home side's way on the opening day.

According to Guardian Tennis, captain Leon Smith had reason for an untroubled night's sleep having watched his singles players do their jobs on day one, leaving him free to call on two of the world's leading doubles specialists to finish the job.

The win books Great Britain's spot among the eight nations who will contest the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna in November, the culmination of the competition's season-long format.

Attention for Smith's squad will now turn to preparations for that finals week, where they will face the challenge of some of the strongest tennis nations on the calendar.