Nicolas Mahut and Julien Benneteau defeated Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers 6-0 6-4 7-6(6) to seal France’s place in a second consecutive Davis Cup final.
The French pair wasted no time in making their mark on the match as their returning was unstoppable in the first set. The Spaniards were playing as a team for the first team and it showed as they showed a lack of communication throughout the contest.
The story of the match was how well Benneteau was playing as the French veteran came out of immediate retirement to play this match. From phenomenal backhands to tweeners, Benneteau had it all going on as he lead the French team to the first set in 15 minutes.
The second set was much better from Lopez and Granollers on serve as they finally got on the board and built some steady momentum. There was concern in the second set as Lopez accidently hit the ball onto his own face as he needed an ice pack to heal his cheekbone throughout the match.
Despite the visitors’ good serving they couldn’t make the breakthrough and the one break of serve was enough for the hosts as they were within touching distance of another final. After a much needed toilet break, the Spaniards eventually came to life with a break to love helping them to a 3-0 lead.
The French pair looked frustrated as Granollers started to play better in the third set as they looked on their way to forcing a fourth set at least. However their poor communication proved costly as Lopez failed to pounce on a volley as the third set was back on serve.
Communication is key in doubles…
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— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) September 15, 2018
Some resilience from the Benneteau and Mahut duo forced a third set tiebreak as the Spaniards looked frustrated at what had just occurred. The tiebreak provided moments of drama as Granollers seemed to drag this match as long as possible with some stunning backhands.
Eventually though Benneteau wasn’t to be denied as a stunning backhand saw the veteran with tears down his face as he sealed France’s place in the Davis Cup final for a second year in a row. The 36 year old was arguably the man of the match as on his final year on the tour, he secures France’s place in history.
As for Spain it’s a case of what could have been as injuries to Rafael Nadal, Pablo Carreno Busta, Fernando Verdasco and Marc Lopez didn’t help their cause and Bautista Agut’s five set loss yesterday was the final nail in the coffin. However progress has been made for Spain despite the loss as it is the first time since 2012 that they reached the semi-finals of the Davis Cup.
France will now play Croatia or USA in the final in November. The win over Spain means it is the first time they have reached back-to-back finals since 2002.
