Sunday, 2 December, 2001, 06:57 GMT
France win Davis Cup
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/1687362.stm

Escude has won all of his singles matches in the Davis Cup
Davis Cup second reverse singles:
France beat Australia 7-6 6-7 6-3 6-3
France have won the Davis Cup with victory in the
final match over Australia.

Nicolas Escude maintained his 100% Davis Cup singles
record with his eighth win in the tournament.

Australia's late replacement, Wayne Arthurs, never
really found his feet in a match dominated by serve.

Arthurs, the world number 64, came in at the 11th hour
as a replacement for Pat Rafter who withdrew with an
arm injury.

The two players held serve throughout the first two
sets which both went into tie-breaks.

Escude took the first before Arthurs played his best
tennis of the match to take the second.

Having saved break points throughout the first set and
six in the opening game of the second, the Australian
turned the tables and forced Escude to come up with game
saving points.

However, despite the support of the home crowd, Arthurs
could not maintain the momentum he had built through to
the third set.

A single break, the first of the match on Escude's 12th
opportunity, was enough to give the Frenchman the third
set, and when he broke in the seventh game of the fourth,
victory was all but assured.

Arthurs served to stay in the game and although Escude
found the net with his first championship point, he made
no mistake at the second time of asking.

A backhand volley gave France their fourth and most
important away victory in the competition this year and
prompted Guy Forget and his team to run on court and mob
Escude.