6 - 12 December 2001
Issue No.563
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 6 - 12 December 2001 Issue No.563 |
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France once more
NICOLAS ESCUDE gave France its ninth Davis Cup, defeating Australian Wayne Arthurs 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 in the deciding fifth match in Melbourne Sunday. Escude's win, his second of the weekend, came four hours after Australia's Pat Rafter, fighting tendinitis in his right arm, had to withdraw after playing the two previous days, a singles match that he won Friday and in doubles on Saturday.
Escude carried high by his teammates after their inspiring Davis Cup triumph
Earlier Sunday, Lleyton Hewitt sent the final to a fifth match with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win over France's Sebastien Grosjean.
Australian captain John Fitzgerald decided Saturday to scrap the scheduled doubles pairing of Todd Woodbridge and Arthurs in favour of Rafter and Hewitt.
The move backfired when Australia lost in the doubles, giving France a 2-1 lead, and came back to haunt Fitzgerald again on Sunday when Rafter said he was too sore to play in the deciding fifth match.
That left Arthurs, who is ranked 64th and had not played a singles match since the end of October, to carry Australia's hopes.
Arthurs had lost to the 27th-ranked Escude in their only previous meeting, while Rafter was 4-0 against him.
France was able to avenge a loss in the final in Nice two years ago and marked the second straight year that Australia has lost in the final, having been defeated by Spain last year in Barcelona.
In the fourth set, Escude got the vital break in the seventh game to go up 4-3 and broke again in the final game, giving France the Davis Cup with a backhand volley that prompted the entire French team to jump on the court and mob Escude.
With steady rain falling on Melbourne Park, both singles matches Sunday were played with the sliding roof at Rod Laver Arena closed, marking the first time that a Davis Cup match was played indoors on grass. A portable grass court was placed over the existing Rebound Ace hardcourt
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