France has been proclaimed champion of the Tennis Federation Cup for the third time in its history by taking Australia the final point in the doubles (3-2) after Kristina Mladenovic surprised Ashleigh Barty and that Ajla Tomljanovic won Pauline Parmentier in the two previous games of Sunday.

In hostile land (hard track in Perth) and after 16 years without achieving the title, France was entrusted to the couple formed by Kristina Mladenovic, undisputed protagonist of the series, and Caroline Garcia to claim the final point before the duo constituted by the World number one, Ashleigh Barty, and Samantha Stosur (6-4, 6-3).

In this way, the team led by Julien Benneteau takes the world scepter that last year raised the Czech Republic and makes France 16 years later, adding the third wound to its showcases (1997, 2003 and 2019). Meanwhile, the ocean still does not lift the trophy since 1974.

All this after a day in which Mladenovic was established as the great figure of the French team. That of Saint-Pol-sur-Mer had achieved the first point of the final by overwhelming Ajla Tomljanovic on Saturday (6-1, 6-1), just before Barty put the boards against Caroline Garcia (6-0, 6-0).

Comeback

This Sunday, Mladenovic, number 40 of the WTA ranking, emerged victorious from a very tight duel of numbers one (2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1)), despite the fact that the ocean was advanced by winning the first set. With a lonely break in the second round, the French equalized the contest, which was finally won by winning six consecutive mini-games in the 'tie-break' of the last set.

However, Tomljanovic was responsible for sending the final to the fifth game after defeating Pauline Parmentier in the second game on Sunday (6-4, 7-5), by asserting a single break in the first round and signing two others in the second.

Everything would be decided in the doubles, and the French did not fail, although they gave up their first service of the clash. A break allowed them to put the tie (2-2) and already in the tenth game they broke again to take the partial. In the second, they went ahead 3-0 and, after defending themselves from four breaking balls, confirmed the conquest of the title in their third match ball.

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