France and Argentina to face off in semifinals
Date published :
11 Jul 2010 - 09:41:26
France and Argentina to face off in semifinalsThe French Davis Cup squad completed a 5-0 whitewash of defending champions Spain as Gilles Simon defeated Nicolas Almagro 76(4) 76(7) and Julien Benneteau recorded a straight sets win over Feliciano Lopez 76(3) 64 to put France into the semifinals for the first time since 2004. For Spain, it was a disastrous weekend on the court and their first Davis Cup defeat since losing to eventual champions USA in the 2007 quarterfinals. It’s only the second time since the formation of the World Group in 1981 that the defending champion has lost a tie 5-0, after 2002 champion Russia suffered a whitewash to Argentina in the 2003 quarterfinals.Spain can only hope that tonight’s FIFA World Cup Final can provide some consolation for a disappointing performance at the Grande Halle d’Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand. France will face Argentina, who defeated Russia 3-2 in Moscow, in September’s semifinal and Guy Forget’s squad will have gained a vast amount of confidence from their victory this weekend which marked their first over Spain since 1923 and was also against a team fielding two higher-ranked singles players. "Now is their time" - ForgetIt’s been a few years since we’ve been in the semifinals, said Forget, but we have a young group of players who have improved every year and I think now is their time and hopefully they can win the next round. I know it won’t be easy but the courage they have been showing throughout this weekend, although Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet are not here, is wonderful. And hopefully they can keep that same level of play in September and our team will be even stronger.” France goes into that tie having never lost to the South Americans in their four previous meetings. It has been 28 years since these two nations have met, most recently in 1982 in Buenos Aires.The atmosphere in the sold-out Zenith Grande Hall d’Auvergne was electric as the fans turned out in droves to support their team. Forget addressed the crowd after the win and introduced each of his players and support staff to loud applause. The smiles on the faces of the players were genuine as they enjoyed their moment of success, with Gael Monfils even doing a little dance when his name was called out. Llodra grabbed the microphone to give his captain his moment of recognition. Even half an hour after the match was over, the crowd was still in the Zenith enjoying the moment with the excited and ecstatic players.Argentina faces another away tie Home court advantage could offer France an edge against Argentina who will play their third tie away from home this year, but the Argentines have upset two powerful teams already, having defeated Sweden in the first round and now Russia in the quarterfinals. Both teams could be without key players however, with Tsonga out for a few weeks with a knee injury and Juan Martin del Potro sidelined after right wrist surgery. But both captains will be hopeful that they will have all their best players available for selection. The French Tennis Federation has about two weeks to select their venue for the semifinal against Argentina with several cities vying to host the tie. Today’s odds are on Montpellier in France’s Languedoc region and its new stadium. Whatever the venue, though, the love the French players and public have for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is abundantly clear. Related links> DavisCup.tv> Twitter> Tie information> Audio interviews> Scorecards & stats> France records historic win over Spain> France stuns Spain on day one> Spain looks to World Cup for inspiration> Monfils looks forward to Spanish challenge> Knee problem causes Nadal absenceRelated websites> Info en francais - FFT> Informacin espa- RFET Related Audio Interview with captain Guy Forget (FRA) - Sunday If you cannot hear the audio, then please update your media player by following one of the links above.
