Madrid (AFP)
France, finalist in 2018 of the last Davis Cup in its historic format, won in pain its first match of the new Davis Cup formula, Tuesday in Madrid, thanks to his pair Nicolas Mahut - Pierre-Hugues Herbert who won the decisive double against Japan.
Winners of the doubles Masters in London on Sunday, Mahut and Herbert beat the Japanese pair Ben McLachlan-Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-5.
In a reduced model because of the small number of spectators, 10% to 20% of the seats of the court N.2 were filled according to the moments of the match, the French lived a true match of Davis Cup ... outside. The handful of tricolor fans sitting quietly did not weigh in the face of fifty or so Japanese fans, folk and active.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won the first match against Yusataka Uchiyama (81st World) 6-2, 6-1 in 58 minutes, but Gael Monfils, who seemed very tired, then lost to Yoshihito Nishioka (73) 7-5, 6-2 in 1h06.
The Blues face Serbia Novak Djokovic Thursday for the final game of Group A.
Since this year, the final phase of the Davis Cup brings together 18 separate teams in 6 groups of 3. The first of each of the six groups as well as the 2 best runners-up, divided by the number of sets and games won, qualify for the quarter-finals. .
© 2019 AFP