ESPN.com - TENNIS - France leads Belgium 3-0 to book second-round berth

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Saturday, February 10
France leads Belgium 3-0 to book second-round berth



GHENT, Belgium -- France booked its place in the Davis Cup quarterfinals after taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead over Belgium in Saturday's world group first-round tie.

The experienced French pairing of Cedric Pioline and Fabrice Santoro outplayed Belgians Olivier Rochus and Tom van Houdt 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 with a two-hour display of doubles power and guile.

From 3-3 in the first set, the French duo took five consecutive games, conceding just five points.

The home pair fought back gamely in the third set, with Pioline having to save a breakpoint in the sixth game, but the visitors ran out easy winners in the tiebreak.

France will play either Switzerland or the United States, while Belgium faces a playoff to stay in the top flight next season.

On Friday, Australian Open revelations Arnaud Clement and Sebastien Grosjean had set France on the way to victory, both starting sluggishly on the indoor clay before battling back from two sets down.

Clement, beaten by Andre Agassi in the Melbourne final last month, recovered to beat Christophe Rochus 6-7, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, while Grosjean outlasted the younger Rochus brother, Olivier, 4-6, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.

The quality of the visitors' lineup always threatened to make this a one-sided affair, although the home side had beaten the French in Ghent in 1997.

"We showed some excellent quality in (Friday's) singles and we were pretty solid in the doubles, all in all it looks good," said Santoro after Saturday's match.

In seven meetings between these two neighbours, this was France's first win in Belgium.

Belgian captain Gabriel Gonzalez may now rest Olivier Rochus and play Philip Dewulf, French Open semifinalist in 1997, in one of Sunday's dead rubber reverse singles.

 




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