• Davis Cup

France on brink of final after Monfils heroics

Gael Monfils is unbeaten in the Davis Cup this year © Getty Images

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• News: France seal final berth
  

France put one foot in the Davis Cup final on Friday after Gael Monfils produced an inspired performance to beat David Nalbandian for a 2-0 advantage against Argentina.

Monfils' serve was red-hot as he fired 27 aces on his way to a 6-4 2-6 6-4 6-3 win over in-form Nalbandian after Michael Llodra have given France an early lead.

Llodra, who retired from his third-round US Open match with dizziness, looked to have made a complete recovery as he enjoyed a 7-5 4-6 7-5 6-3 win over Juan Monaco.

Llodra will be back in action on Saturday and could be the hero for France if he and doubles partner Arnaud Clement can seal France's place in the final with a win over Eduardo Schwank and Horacio Zeballos in the doubles.

A win for France would see them reach the final for the first time in eight years, while Serbia are vying to reach the final for the first time. Standing in their way are last year's beaten finalists Czech Republic, and the scores are level after the first day's play in Belgrade.

After world No. 2 Novak Djokovic was forced to withdraw with illness, Viktor Troicki was forced to step in to face Radek Stepanek, and despite winning the first set, eventually fell 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-4.

But Janko Tipsarevic gave the Belgrade crowd plenty to cheer about when he produced a battling display to stun world No. 7 Tomas Berdych to level the tie.

Tipsarevic raced to a two-set lead, but was pegged back by the Czech No. 1 in the third. Just as it looked as if Berdych was beginning to find his rhythm, Tipsarevic dug deep to take the fourth set to a tie-breaker which he edged to seal a hard-earned 7-5 6-2 2-6 7-6(5) victory.

Meanwhile, in the World Group play-offs, a win for Olivier Rochus kept Belgium in their tie against Australia in Adelaide after Lleyton Hewitt put the home nation ahead.

A win for Mardy Fish on his Davis Cup debut put USA ahead against Colombia, but Santiago Giraldo levelled the tie with a surprise win over Sam Querrey.

Elsewhere, Kazakhstan lead Switzerland 2-0, while it is all square in the clash between Sweden and Italy.

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