France's quest for their first Davis Cup crown since 2017 continued on Sunday after the country's top male tennis players beat their Brazilian coutnereparts 4-0 to reach the second round of the 2025 competition.
Following wins on Saturday for Ugo Humbert and Arthur Fils over Joao Fonseca and Thiago Seyboth Wild respectively, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Benjamin Bonzi paired up at the Palais des Sports in Orléans, western France, for their first competitive doubles tie to beat the Brazilian duo Marcelo Melo and Rafael Matos.
Herbert and Bonzi won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to offer the hosts the decisive point in the best-of-five series. Qualification secured, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard overpowered Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida 6-4, 6-4 in the show game.
"We were probably favourites on paper as we we're playing at home as well," Herbert said.
"But we knew that the Brazilian team would be tough. Joao has been been making a lot of progress lately and winning a lot of big games and Thiago is never easy to play," the 33-year-old added.
"Marcelo and Rafael know each other like the back of their hand and have had some great victories in Davis Cup;
"So to wrap up the tie 3-0 is really good. We wanted to win the doubles match and not give them hope of staging a comeback."
Return
That return looked more than possible after the Brazilians clinched the first set. A flurry of mid set service breaks ended when Melo eventually held his serve to give Brazil a 5-3 lead. Herbert followed suit and likewise Matos to seal the opener after 41 minutes.
The French broke away to lead 4-2 in the second and held on to take it and level proceedings after 83 minutes.
The Frenchmen, roared on by some 3,000 partisans, notched up the first break points of the decider at 2-2 on the service of Matos but slick volleying from Melo at the net bailed the Brazilians out on three separate occasions.
The 41-year-old unfurled another deft volley from his repertoire to win the game and edge his country into a 3-2 advantage.
But the French pair broke to lead 5-4 on the back of brilliant defensive play. Bonzi, displaying nerves in his first Davis Cup match with stakes, held his serve to complete the victory.
"It was complicated," said Bonzi of the final game. "All my first serves hit the tape on the net which was a shame as they were going exactly where I wanted them. But we did it together."
In September's second round, France will play Croatia for a place among the final eight teams in November.
