By Tennis Now | Friday, September 14, 2018
Lucas Pouille edged Roberto Bautista Agut in five sets staking defending Davis Cup champion France to a 2-0 lead over Spain.
Photo credit: Davis Cup Facebook
Davis Cup hero Lucas Pouille pulled off another gallant performance today.
Pouille put defending champion France within one win of its second straight Davis Cup final, repelling Roberto Bautista Agut, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, to put the host ahead of visiting Spain, 2-0, in the Davis Cup semifinal on hard court in Lille.
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Riding a streak of seven straight Davis Cup wins, France can clinch its trip to a 19th Davis Cup final by winning tomorrow's doubles.
The 19th-ranked Pouille avenged a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Bautista Agut in the Dubai final in February.
It was Pouille's second five-set triumph over the Spaniard in five-career clashes coming two years after Pouille fought off Bautista Agut in five sets at the 2016 US Open.
It's a sizable sink hole for Spain, which has never successfully rallied from an 0-2 deficit to win a Davis Cup tie, and is without world No. 1 Rafael Nadal who pulled out of this weekend's tie.
With veterans Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils both unavailable to play, French captain Yannick Noah turned to Benoit Paire and the sometime flamboyant Frenchman responded. Paire made a dynamic Davis Cup debut tearing through 16 of the final 17 games thrashing a gimpy Pablo Carreno Busta, 7-5, 6-1, 6-0 in the opening match.
Paire pounded 16 aces compared to one for Carreno Busta, who took an injury time-out to have his upper leg taped. From the midway point of the second set, Carreno Busta lacked the mobility to trouble Paire too much.
"I've waited a long time for this and it's a dream to win on my debut," a beaming Paire told Davis Cup.com afterward. "I never had the choice before now and though it's been a long time, hopefully it's not too late for me and I'll get more chances."
French captain Yannick Noah opted to pick Paire instead of 24th-ranked Richard Gasquet and the bearded, swashbuckling Frenchman confirmed his captain's faith with a comprehensive conquest of Carreno Busta.
"We knew there was some risk but I had felt good yesterday and so decided to play," Carreno Busta told Davis Cup.com afterward. "But I started to feel the abductor problem again and at 3-0, 4-0 in the second set I knew it was going to be impossible to win."
Falling into a 0-3 hole to start the third set, a slumping Pouille reignited his game with an exquisite backhand drop volley winner to get on the board. Repeatedly carving out drop shots dragging the Spaniard baseliner forward, Pouille put Bautista Agut into awkward predicaments to propel a strong comeback.
The unsettling contrast of the Frenchman's blistering returns and fine finesse bamboozled Bautista Agut. Pouille streaked through five straight games seizing a 5-3 lead.
The man in the backward baseball cap thumped a wide serve for a second set point. This time Bautista Agut was up to the test and knocked off a backhand volley to save set point.
Rocketing his 10th ace, Pouille closed the third set cupping his hand to his ear urging French fans to make more noise after two-and-a-half hours.
Outmaneuvered in the third set, Bautista Agut came roaring back in the fourth. Exploiting a tame Pouille drop shot, Bautista Agust broke for 3-1 and quickly backed up the break.
Yanking control of the match, Bautista Agust broke with a bang to snatch the fourth set and force a fifth.
That break enabled the world No. 26 to start the decider serving first and playing from ahead.
Neither man could gain separation until the 10th game.
Continuously challenge the Spaniard's two-hander, Pouille drew a netted pass for break point followed by another errant backhand breaking for 5-4.
Pouille saved a break point with a stinging serve then slid an ace for his third match point.
The French Davis Cup hero closed a three hour, forty-one minute conquest when Bautista Agust scattered a forehand wide. The shot was initially ruled good by the chair umpire, but Pouille challenged and Hawk-Eye replay showed the shot stayed wide.
France can clinch its second straight trip to the final tomorrow when the doubles team of Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut is scheduled to face the Spanish team of Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez. Both captains can substitute players for doubles.
If Spain wins the doubles point to extend the tie, Pouille is slated to face Carreno Busta in Sunday's opening reverse singles though Spanish captain Sergi Bruguera could replace the injured Carreno Busta.
The winner of the France vs. Spain semifinal will play either Croatia or the United States in the November 23rd-25th Davis Cup final. Crotia holds a commanding 2-0 lead over the visiting Americans.