BAIE-MAHAULT, Guadeloupe — Gael Monfils eased past Frank Dancevic 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 Friday to give France a 1-0 lead over Canada in their Davis Cup first-round tie as Yannick Noah got off to a successful start as the team's new captain.
In hot and humid weather conditions, Monfils needed just 85 minutes to dispatch the 245th-ranked Dancevic on the clay court of the 8,000-seat Velodrome Amedee Detraux, the biggest stadium in Guadeloupe.
Monfils, whose father comes from Guadeloupe, was initially reluctant to play there due to the long trip.
France is playing a Davis Cup tie in the French Caribbean islands for the first time after Noah convinced the French federation to stage the contest away from the mainland.
Monfils sealed the match with a backhand down the line, then pointed a finger toward the stands and tapped his heart with his hand.
Noah, who replaced Arnaud Clement following a disappointing 2015 campaign, is captaining the team for the third time after guiding France to Davis Cup titles in 1991 and 1996. He also led France to its maiden victory in the Fed Cup in 1997.
The second singles match pitted Gilles Simon against Vasek Pospisil.
Canada is without its injured top player Milos Raonic, and also missing doubles specialist Daniel Nestor who didn't travel because of an unspecified family matter.
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99
Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html
No comments:
Post a Comment