France stamps its place in the semis; secures 4-1 win against Germany – Davis Cup 2011
The utopia to reach the semi finals for the French was a dream come true. France annihilated Germany on their home ground rounding off a 4-1 win altogether. All matches were played on outdoor classic clay courts, giving the French a competitive edge.
The first 2 singles rubber and the doubles match played at the TC Weissenhof Stuttgart Stadium rounded France an unassailable 3-0 lead against Germany into the semi-finals. Friday had seen, Richard Gasquet come back from two sets down to b***h slap German number one Florian Mayer a 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 before Gael Monfils thrashed Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6, (7/3), 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
The doubles saw Michael Llodra and Jo Wilfried Tsonga beat Christopher Kas and Phillip Petzschner 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-4. The French pair dropped the serve only once, in the first set, but they rallied to win the tiebreaker. The match lasted for more than two hours and had the crowd biting their nails off.
France captain Guy Forget said, “I knew the tie was going to be close and difficult, even though we've won by Saturday night, all the matches were really tight, and I'm really glad the French players took it so seriously and played with a lot of heart.”
The French team embodied some of the best clay court players in the world. The initial two singles rubbers were played by Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils, while the reverse two singles rubbers were played by Michael Llodra and J. Tsonga. The doubles team comprised of Michael Llodra and J. Tsonga which made them an impetuous howling team. Germany, on the other hand, had a good team but was unable to digest the French delicacy. Team Germany included Christopher Kas, Philipp Petzschner, Philip Kohlschreiber and Florian Mayer.
France has won the Davis Cup nine times along with Great Britain and has finished seven times as a runner-up; including in 2010 when Serbia defeated France 3-2 in the final match which was held at Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, Serbia.
The two countries have evoked each other’s mettle on eight occasions but France has steered the series to a 6-2 win. The Germans have managed to win the Davis Cup three times. The last win for the Germans came way back in 1993 where they defaced Australia 4-1 at Exhibition Hall, Dusseldorf, Germany.
Following their victory over Germany, France has managed to seal its place in the semi-finals and will be playing Spain. Team Spain defeated Team U.S.A in the quarterfinal.
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