Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga left the Davis Cup final series tied 1-1 today between his country and Belgium by beating Steve Darcis in the second match of the day in Lille.
Tsonga prevailed 6-3, 6-2 and 6-1 to keep France’s hopes of clinching its first title in tennis’s premier team tournament in 16 years strong.
In the first turn, David Goffin put Belgium ahead by defeating the French Lucas Pouille 7-5, 6-3 and 6-1.
“I have been able to do my job, I am happy to have achieved the point,” said Tsonga after his categorical victory against Darcis, who is returning from a back injury and barely resisted the former French top ten.
“It’s too early for celebrations,” Tsonga warned, however. “We must stay focused. Our goal is to win the title, “said the Frenchman after a match in which he hit 11 aces, scored 20 winners and broke his rival serve six times.
Earlier, Goffin showed that he is still in great shape after his performance at the Masters, where he reached the final after beating Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Swiss Roger Federer.
«I felt strong in this game. Winning in three sets always helps, “said the seventh in the world rankings after his victory in less than two hours of play.
Belgium has never been able to win the Davis Cup in its history, while France aspires to get the Salad Bowl for the first time since 2001. The series is played at the Pierre-Mauroy Stadium in Lille, which was converted into a tennis court and has the capacity to 27,000 viewers.