By Chris Oddo | Saturday, September 13, 2014
France ended the Czech Republic's Davis Cup Reign with a spirited doubles triumph on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Photo Source: Reuters
Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga catapulted France to its first Davis Cup final since 2010 with a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-1 victory over Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic on Saturday in front of a boisterous crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris.
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After dropping the opener, yesterday’s French singles heroes rallied to level at one set apiece.
Tsonga and Gasquet appeared to be off to the races before blowing a 3-0, double-break lead in the third, but they rebounded to secure the advantage in the tiebreaker, then steamrolled the tired Czech duo in the fourth set to bring the victory home.
“It’s great,” said Tsonga, “it’s for sure it’s one of our best moments in our career. To play here at Roland Garros for a semifinal, it’s unbelievable.”
“Very proud and very happy,” added Gasquet. “It’s a big honor for us to play on this court.”
It was only the second time that Gasquet and Tsonga had teamed for Davis Cup doubles, but they were fueled by the partisan crowd despite facing one of the most dynamic duos that the competition has to offer in Berdych and Stepanek.
“We always kept the fighting spirit,” said Tsonga. “We stayed in the match.”
The Czechs’ bid for a Davis Cup three-peat ended in Paris today, but Berdych and Stepanek are proud of what they’ve achieved.
“The winning streak has ended,” said Berdych. “But that’s the sport. French team was just too good, too strong.”
The French will either host the Swiss in November’s final or go on the road to face Italy. They will bid for their 10th Davis Cup title, which is tied with Great Britain for the third-most in Davis Cup history.