LILLE, September 15, 2018

France leads 2-0 over Spain after the opening day of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas semi-final tie in Lille. Lucas Pouille beat Roberto Bautista-Agut 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in three hours and 41 minutes, the tightest match of the day.

“When Spain won the fourth set after two match points, I was scared,” said Yannick Noah court side. “I thought Luca deserved it, but it was so close. At this level, in a semi-final, it’s all about who goes for it. You can’t wait for the mistake.”

Earlier in the day, Benoit Paire has raced through the final two sets against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, who struggled with physical problems, to prevail 7-5, 6-1, 6-0.

“I’ve waited a long time for this and it’s a dream to win on my debut,” smiled Paire. “I never had the choice before now (to play for France) and though it’s been a long time, hopefully it’s not too late for me and I’ll get more chances.”

In Saturday’s doubles rubber, Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut will face Marcel Granollers and Feliciano López.