Switzerland now has a 2-1 lead over France in the Davis Cup after Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer took down Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet on Saturday.
Switzerland took a 2-1 lead over France in the Davis Cup final on Saturday, as the Swiss opted to substitute Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer in for the doubles matchup against Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet. Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer were initially set to play for the Swiss, but captain Severin Luthi made the tough decision to have his stars potentially play triple duty.
It paid off as Federer and Wawrinka dispatched the French pairing without much issue, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. They did not concede a single break and played their best tennis in the second set, rising to Gasquet and Benneteau's rally and stifling them when it mattered most. Federer, who looked somewhat slowed in his singles match on Friday, seemed to pick up speed and gain confidence throughout the match.
The pairing of Federer and Wawrinka took gold at the 2008 Olympics, but had lost its last four matches. Now, the Swiss are up 2-1 and in a position to net the country's first ever Davis Cup title. France already has nine, though the chance for a tenth is still on the table with Sunday's reverse singles matches.
Federer will take on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first match on Sunday, and can win it for Switzerland there. If he fails, Wawrinka and Gael Monfils will play for the title. On Friday, Federer lost to Monfils, who was playing some of the best tennis of his career, while Wawrinka easily handled Tsonga in a similar fashion.
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