France won in pain their first match of the new Davis Cup formula on 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. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won the first match against Yusataka Uchiyama (81st) 6-2, 6-1 but Gael Monfils lost to Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5, 6-2. The Blues face Serbia Novak Djokovic Thursday for the final game of Group A.