By Tennis Now | Saturday, April 7, 2018
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut swept Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1, staking defending Davis Cup champion France to a 2-1 lead over host Italy on the red clay of Genoa.
Photo credit: Davis Cup Facebook
France needed just two hours to move to within one win of a Davis Cup semifinal return.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut transformed a blockbuster doubles clash into a blow-out.
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The French pair pounded Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1, in the critical doubles match staking the defending Davis Cup champions to a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five match quarterfinal against host Italy on the red clay of Genoa.
The French dominated the net and split the Italians with drives down the middle.
Former Australian Open doubles champions Bolelli and Fognini, who beat Herbert and Mahut in their lone prior doubles clash at the 2015 Australian Open, stayed in step through eight games.
Bolelli cracked in the 10th game. Serving at 4-5, he double faulted to face double set point.
On the second set point, Mahut swooped in slashing a forehand winner to seal the set.
France broke Fognini early in the second set, rolling to a 5-1 lead and never looked stress wrapping up a one hour, 54-minute conquest.
Fognini, who defeated Jeremy Chardy to level the tie on Friday, will try to keep home hopes alive when he faces French No. 1 Lucas Pouille in tomorrow's reverse singles.
Italy's Andreas Seppi will play the 80th-ranked Chardy in Sunday's final fifth match, if necessary.
France has only won on Italian soil once before, back in in 1927 in Rome.
Italy is aiming to reach the World Group semifinals for just the second time in the last 20 years, while defending champion France plays for a spot in the last four for the third straight year.
The winner of this quarterfinal will play either Spain or Germany in the September semifinals.