Australia, France Surge Into Davis Cup QF

AUSTRALIA 3, CZECH REPUBLIC 0
Venue: Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, Melbourne, AUS (hard – outdoor)

Australia has taken an unassailable 3-0 lead over the Czech Republic following Saturday’s doubles victory for Sam Groth and John Peers. The Aussie duo defeated Jan Satral and Jiri Vesely 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 30 minutes, firing 11 aces.

The 28-time champion Aussie squad has not dropped a set through three matches, including singles routs by Jordan Thompson and Nick Kyrgios on Friday. Played at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, former venue of the Australian Open, Groth and Peers powered their nation into its second World Group quarter-final in three years. They will face either Switzerland or the United States next.

“It feels like I’m in a dream to be honest,” said Peers, who is coming off a title run at the Australian Open with Henri Kontinen. “Hopefully when I wake up I’m just pinching myself to believe what has happened the past few weeks.”

“We came up to do a job and I thought we played great today,” said Groth. “I played as good a match as I’ve played all year.”

JAPAN 0, FRANCE 3
Venue: Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, JPN (hard – indoor)

France’s streak lives, as Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut sent Les Bleus into the Davis Cup quarter-finals for an eighth consecutive year, turning aside Yuichi Sugita, Yasutaka Uchiyama and Japan 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. The victory gives the visiting nation an unassailable 3-0 win at the Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo.

Herbert and Mahut, the top players in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, converted four of five break chances while saving eight of nine faced during the one-hour and 46-minute affair. Nine-time champion France will face either Canada or Great Britain next.

“Davis Cup matches are never easy, but we won in straight sets,” said Mahut. “It was not our best match, but we’re happy to get through in three. We are very happy to get this point for France.”