France dump GB out of Davis Cup quarters

France advanced to the Davis Cup semi-finals after veterans Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut won a tight doubles in Rouen on Saturday. Benneteau and Mahut edged Dominic Inglot and Jamie Murray 7-6 (7), 5-7, 7-5, 7-5. That followed singles defeats for Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans on Friday, and meant that the home side had an unassailable 3-0 lead. France faces either Serbia or Spain in the semi-final in September.

We knew it would be hard for us, but we kept going until the end and did a great job.

Nicolas Mahut

Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, who led Britain to Davis Cup victory in 2015, did not play this time because of an elbow injury and his absence was keenly felt.

Two years ago we lost to Britain [in the quarter-finals], even though they had Andy Murray then, and it was a very tough moment for us.

Nicolas Mahut

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