- France and Australia won their doubles matches in Saturday’s Davis Cup semis
- It was easy for Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who won 6-1 6-2 7-6
- Beating Filip Krajinovic and Nenad Zimonjic put France 2-1 up over Serbia
- Australia’s John Peers and Jordan Thompson also won in straight sets
- They beat Belgium’s Arthur de Greef and Ruben Bemelmans to lead 2-1 overall
France and Australia took charge of their Davis Cup semi-finals in Saturday’s doubles as they built 2-1 leads over Serbia and Belgium respectively.
Two-time Grand Slam champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert beat Filip Krajinovic and Nenad Zimonjic 6-1 6-2 7-6 (3) for France.
Apart from a scare in the third set when the Serb pair won four games in a row, Mahut and Herbert were in control on the indoor clay court and put France one win away from their 18th Davis Cup final.
Nicolas Mahut hugged Pierre-Hugues Herber after beating Filip Krajinovic and Nenad Zimonjic
Mahut and Herber’s 6-1 6-2 7-6 (3) win put France 2-1 up over Serbia in their Davis Cup semi
‘We are super happy and very proud,’ said Herbert, who won Wimbledon and the US Open with Mahut.
Mahut, who has been hampered by a calf injury in recent weeks, thanked the medical staff for enabling him to play.
‘They did not count their hours to put me back on my feet,’ he said. ‘This victory is also theirs.’
Meanwhile in Brussels, Australia also need just one more point to reach the final for the first time since they won the title in 2003 after John Peers and Jordan Thompson breezed past Arthur de Greef and Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium 6-3 6-4 6-0.
‘It was surprising. Davis Cup doubles you usually see marathon five-setters,’ Thompson said.
Elsewhere, John Peers and Jordan Thompson beat Arthur de Greef and Ruben Bemelmans
The 6-3 6-4 6-0 win, celebrated above by Peers, put Australia 2-1 up in their semi with Belgium
A highly anticipated contest between Belgium’s David Goffin and Nick Kyrgios could become the climax of Sunday’s reverse singles in the Belgian capital.
Meanwhile, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga can clinch the other tie for France with victory over Lajovic.
In the absence of Novak Djokovic, Viktor Troicki, and Janko Tipsarevic, Serbia were given little chance against the French, but Dusan Lajovic gave Serbia a 1-0 lead on Friday before Tsonga won the second singles.
If he Tsonga fails to beat Lajovic, the tie will be decided in the final singles between Lucas Pouille and Serb debutant Laslo Djere.