Andreas Seppi's gameplan is simple but effective, plugging away, batting the ball back and letting James Ward do the damage to himself. It works a treat as well with the Briton firing into the top of the tape at 30-40 down. Seppi has a double break and a stranglehold on the match.

Julie McLean on Twitter:, external British tennis is hard to watch today.

Andreas Seppi is on cruise control on his service games. Another disappears without James Ward registering a point and he needs to do something pretty dramatic, pretty darn soon or it is curtains for Great Britain.

Jonathan Overend
BBC Sport commentator

"It was allways going to be tough from two sets down, but it's even tougher now from two sets down and a break."

That might be the ball game. James Ward throws the kitchen sink at a mid-court forehand at 15-40 but sees the net envelop it and he slips a break behind.

There is not a lot of hope of a rain delay to test Andreas Seppi's nerves either as the camera pans round, picking up only a couple of clouds on the Neopolitan skyline.

The Seppi serve has been tight and tidy so far.

Dominic Inglot
British doubles player talking to BBC TV

"Ward doesn't strike me as someone who cares about the [Italian] crowd to be honest."

James Ward stretches his palms and bellows in anger as his attempt to slide a chop backhand over the net falls just short. That allows Andreas Seppi to escape to 40-30 and the Italian is over the horizon and away.

James Ward just cannot shake the yapping Andreas Seppi from his ankles. Naggingly consistent groundstrokes, in contrast to Ward's wayward shots, give him a break point from deuce. Ward sees that one off, but his strength, the power in his arm, is also a weakness.

The Briton blasts long to give Seppi another break point before a crackerjack serve claws it back off the table. Another supersonic ace, his third of the match, takes Ward safely home and he demands more noise from the British fans as he goes.

Is it too little too late though?

Jonathan Overend
BBC Sport commentator

"A huge task now for Great Britain. James Ward has to keep believing and captain Leon Smith has to find the words to make the difference."

Andreas Seppi is fully in command of his gremlins. He knocks off the first three points for 40-0 and a cushioned drop-shot brings James Ward haring in off the baseline.

It is beyond the Londoner's reach and I fear this match might be too.

John Lloyd
Former British number one on BBC TV

"I just feel there is a little bit of panic creeping into the way James is playing. The ball is coming to him and he is just belting it. Sometimes it is in and other times it is out. He's taking unnecessary risks."

Andreas Seppi has made the right sacrifices to the net cord gods. He gets that rub of the wire to move to deuce, but will have to close out the second set on his own serve.

That is the second set of the final rubber of a Davis cup quarter-final Andreas. The weight of your nation's expectations on your shoulders. You wouldn't want to mess it up.

John Lloyd
Former British number one on BBC TV

"There are far too many errors by James unfortunately."

Andreas Seppi consolidates a break of serve with a hold for the first time in four attempts in this match. It was comfortable as well James Ward sprays shots all over the shop and goes down to love.

Seppi is one game away from the second set.

James Ward shows that he can do this drop-shot malarky, dribbling one over to drag Andreas Seppi out of position, before whacking a sledgehammer backhand pass away to save the first of two break points at 15-40 down.

A whopper of a serve salvages the second but a double fault as he pushes his luck gong down the middle off his second serve gives Seppi a third break point. Saved as Seppi misses his chance.

Ward cuffs one long as he attempts to take the fight to his opponent and he cannot see off a fourth, netting with a backhand volley at the net.

Andreas Seppi dollies a forehand into the net under little pressure at deuce and finds himself with a break point to stew on.

Ohh! The Italian's forehand is snagged by a thick net cord but just about makes it over the tape to save him.

A rally of rare high quality breaks Seppi's way on the next point and he operates James Ward's strings to win the game. A cunning drop-shot preys on the Briton's relative lack of mobility, leaving him an easy pat volley to win.

Dominic Inglot
British doubles player talking to BBC TV

"James is starting to get a few balls in. Those cheap errors aren't coming as often as Seppi would like. Suddenly he's thinking 'hang on, I'm having to do more here'."

James Ward holds quite comfortably with more and more errors poking their way into Andreas Seppi's game. It is quite evenly fought at the moment.

John Lloyd
Former British number one on BBC TV

"The crowd has lost some of its intensity. It's as though Italy's fans don't feel they need to get behind Seppi as much. In the last match they were screaming at every single point."

Jonathan Overend
BBC Sport commentator

"James needs to think about his big Davis Cup performances, the ones where he was behind and came back to win."