LILLE, France (Reuters) – France moved one step closer to a 10th Davis Cup title when Richard Gasquet and Pierre-Hugues Herbert beat Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore 6-1 3-6 7-6(2) 6-4 to give the hosts a 2-1 lead in the final against neighbors Belgium on Saturday.
The French pair, in their first competitive match together, were down a break in the third set when Bemelmans suffered a meltdown, allowing Les Bleus to turn the situation around.
David Goffin put the visitors ahead by beating Lucas Pouille in the opening singles before Jo-Wilfried Tsonga leveled for 1-1 when he defeated Steve Darcis in the second singles on Friday.
Tsonga and Goffin face off in the first reverse singles on Sunday.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Rex Gowar)
