Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille, France (Indoor, Clay)
Switzerland is on the brink of capturing the Davis Cup trophy for the first time after Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka combined to give the 1992 runner-up a 2-1 lead against nine-time former champion France.
Federer and Wawrinka broke a four-match losing streak as a doubles team in Davis Cup rubbers by beating France's Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday. It was Federer and Wawrinka's first doubles team win on a clay court.
"I am really happy with the way we were playing today," said Wawrinka. "We were really aggressive, we knew what we had to do. I think we did a good job."
Federer and Wawrinka, who clinched the 2008 Beijing Olympics doubles gold medal, hit 67 winners, including seven aces, and won 40 of their 53 points at the net for victory in two hours and 12 minutes at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille.
World No. 2 Federer will look to give Switzerland an unassailable 3-1 lead on Sunday when he meets Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first reverse singles rubber. Should Federer lose, Wawrinka is scheduled to face Gael Monfils in the fifth rubber.
Wawrinka, buoyed with the confidence of beating Tsonga on Friday, stepped into the court to fire two winners to help break Benneteau’s serve for a 4-2 lead in the first set. Almost unplayable on serve, Wawrinka set up Federer for routine putaways at the net. The Swiss pair lost just five of their service points against Benneteau and Gasquet, who won the 2012 London Olympics bronze medal, in the 28-minute first set. They hit 17 winners.
Benneteau, who normally plays in the deuce court with his regular partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin, and Gasquet failed to convert any of their five point opportunities in the second set. Gasquet faltered on his serve at 5-5, leaving Benneteau open to a barrage of powerful groundstrokes. Federer hit a break-clinching backhand return at 15/40, as Benneteau crossed anticipating a poach. Federer closed out to 15, as the Swiss proved to be tactically adept when the set got tight.
One break of serve, in the fifth game of the third set, proved to be enough for Federer and Wawrinka, who sealed victory with an angled volley winner. First-time pairing Benneteau and Gasquet won only 19 of their 87 service return points.
Switzerland's captain Severin Luthi had originally selected Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer for the doubles rubber.
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