BLACK Friday is often a time for unseemly rows over high value items but little did we suspect that also applies to Davis Cup finals. Andy Murray and Ruben Bemelmans marked that date yesterday by involving themselves in the tennis equivalent of a square go over the final destination of the World Cup of team tennis, with respective captains Leon Smith and Johan van Herck holding the jackets.

As well as being a world class tennis player, the World No 2 is a polite and well-brought up young man. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a bit of the street fighter about him. From the days when he was calling out the giant Juan Martin del Potro for making a comment about his mum Judy, there has always been a bit of devilment about the younger Murray sibling and this second singles rubber against the Diablos Rouges brought it out to the full. The Scot took on all comers - the umpire, the bulk of the 13,000 crowd, and his Belgian opponent - as he scrapped away to complete the first part of a potentially decisive personal hat-trick. It gave Britain parity on the scoreboard at 1-1 and a fighting chance of their first Davis Cup title since 1936.

This Davis Cup final at the Flanders Expo Centre in Ghent has mainly been a joyous occasion but a bit like most Scottish weddings things started to get a bit rowdy and fractious in early evening. A first Davis Cup in 79 or 115 years respectively is not something to be given up with a fight, and despite a slow start which saw him drop the first two sets, 6-3, 6-2, Bemelmans, a 27-year-old left hander who is ranked 108 in the world, had no intentions of doing so. Under instruction to drive the World No 2 to distraction with a series of drop shots, he was threatening to extend matters into a fourth set. Murray, intent on protecting his resources to get through this weekend, had no intention of letting that happen.

With the atmosphere reaching a tumult - a French horn and a loud hailer were both noticeable in the stands - a few sweary words from the Scot got things started. Clad in navy blue, rather than the black Parental Advisory T-shirt which his wife Kim wore at the Australian Open earlier this year, Murray turned the air blue. Some choice expletives were clear enough for chair umpire Carlos Ramos to hear them and administer a code violation warning, though in the din the World No 2 couldn't actually discern that he had received the rebuke. His second misdemeanour, as Bemelmans served at 2-2, led to Britain being penalised a point. It helped the Belgian hold his serve, and provoked some lengthy discourse between Murray, Smith and Ramos at the change of end, the home crowd jeering their displeasure at their opponents.

"I wasn't aware I'd been given the first warning," said Murray afterwards. "I didn't hear it and I had no idea. So when I lost the point, I just went up and asked the umpire why. He said, 'for a second warning'. As I didn't know I had the first one, it was a bit confusing. It's obviously very loud after the point. Literally I had no idea about either of the warnings because you can't hear anything on the court. So I'm surprised he could hear what I was saying!"

Next up was referee Soren Friemel warning severe-looking Belgian captain Johan van Herck about the behaviour of Belgium's fans, some of whom were apparently hissing while Murray was preparing to serve. Under the partisan rule, teams can be penalised for failing to control their supporters, although all parties said afterwards they didn't feel the crowd were out of hand. Murray's remedy was simply to infuriate them by waiting patiently for them to stop before he serves.

Van Herck for one said he felt the crowd had stayed within the correct boundaries, and revealed that he had accused Friemel, like a Scottish referee, of attempting to level things up. "I said [to the referee] that he didn't need to compensate because I feel the crowd for a Davis Cup was very respectful," he said. "Okay, there was noise, but there will always be noise. I didn't feel like we should get any warnings or discussion about the public. That's what I said to him. But that's in the heat of the game. I think everybody's trying to talk to the referee. Leon was looking at him. I was looking. It's something that happens during the match."

Such dramas had seemed a lifetime away when Murray and Bemelmans arrived on court in mid-afternoon, the hubbub from outside marking the fact that many had gone for a break and refreshments after David Goffin's epic five-set win against Kyle Edmund. Bemelmans hadn't been expected to detain the Scot too long and when he surrendered his serve for 2-0 in that opening set that prediction seemed likely to come to pass. The first signs of what was to come were a couple of canny drop shots which allowed the Belgian to level matters at 2-2. Like Kenyan middle distance runners attempting to tackle Haile Gebreselassie, you suspected Belgium's players were attempting to tire the World No 2 out one at a time.

The Scot slipped to earth in the course of that opening set, his navy top suddenly flecked with dark red clay. Rather uncharitably booed for the time he took to regain his composure, Murray simply picked himself up, dusted himself down, and broke the Belgian's serve. Before long the set was in the books.

The World No 2 fairly rattled through the second set, but a 65-minute third set was a different matter. It was typical Murray that he should thrive in the Lion's den, channeling his anger to fight back from 4-2 and set point down to take it 7-5. You might say he is the kind of combative character who could start a fight in an empty house. Yesterday he started one in a full one.