France send Spain champions crashing out of Davis Cup

France take full advantage of Rafael Nadal's absence to send champions crashing out of Davis Cup

France take full advantage of Rafael Nadal's absence to send champions crashing out of Davis Cup

Paris: Defending champions Spain were knocked out of the Davis Cup on Saturday as France claimed an historic victory over the four-time winners in the quarter-finals.

The French achieved their first win over the Spaniards since 1923 after doubles pairing Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau beat Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/5).

That gave the French an unassailable 3-0 lead in the best-of-five rubber in Clermont Ferrand after the hosts won both Friday's singles.

French doubles pair Michael Llodra (top) and Julien Benneteau celebrate their victory against Spain's Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez during their Davis Cup match on Saturday. PIC/AFP

"We beat Spain, the defending champions. It's unbelievable," said Llodra. "But we're not finished making history yet. We have four guys who are in the Top 10. Russia or Argentina won't be a walk in the park, but we're lucky to be hosting," he added of their semi-final opponents in September.

Spain, without Rafael Nadal, had left themselves with a mountain to climb after Friday's two singles defeats as France's decision to play the match on the lightning fast indoor court paid dividends.

Spain, champions for the last two years, went into the tie without world number one Nadal who is resting after winning the French Open and Wimbledon, while the French were also without their top player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who is suffering from a knee injury.

The French went 2-0 up after Gael Monfils and Michael Llodra beat clay specialists David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco respectively, with Llodra and Benneteau wrapping up the tie in Saturday's doubles.

That leaves Sunday's reverse singles to be played with only honour at stake. Llodra and Benneteau raced away with the first two sets and were on target for an easy win, leading 4-2 in the third set.

Despite a match point in the ensuing tie-break the Spanish held firm to take the score to 2-1. Invigorated by that comeback the French duo made Llodra and Benneteau dug deep for victory, which they achieved by holding their nerve to win the fourth set tie-break.