The 2017 Davis Cup final came down to a fifth rubber in Lille, France, between “Mr. Davis Cup” — Belgium’s Steve Darcis — and the world No. 18, France’s Lucas Pouille.
Pouille won the match easily, 6-3, 6-1, 6-0, giving France their 10th Davis Cup title and their first since 2001. The Frenchman relied heavily on his first serve, blasting seven aces and winning 34 of 38 first-serve points.
A Champions’ Marseillaise pic.twitter.com/d5cHd8Feot
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 26, 2017
Pouille let the first game of the match get to deuce, but he managed to power-serve his way to a safe hold. Then Darcis’s opening service game went to deuce twice, and back-to-back netballs from the Belgian gave Pouille a break. Pouille consolidated to love with an ace up the T, pulling ahead 3-0.
Up 5-3, Pouille played power tennis that didn’t give Darcis’s junkballs the slightest chance of succeeding. He held to 30 to win the first set 6-3.
Pouille is hitting Darcis with body blows. Darcis fighting 😄
— Find me on 🟦Sky! (@4TheTennis) November 26, 2017
Pouille had a break point in the opening game of Set 2, but Darcis out-rallied him to hold. At 1-1, Pouille plowed a crosscourt forehand winner to set up a break point, which Darcis saved with a drop shot. The Frenchman forced another break point in the same game with a Rafa-style down-the-line pass, but Darcis erased that one as well. Later in the game, though, Pouille set up one more chance with a volley winner, and converted it on a short-ball forehand to go up a set and a break. Pouille consolidated for 3-1.
Darcis then lost his serve again, and Pouille, with an unreturned serve, made it 5-1. And a big backhand return help Pouille break Darcis to love for a second-set breakstick.
Darcis’s disaster continued when, serving from down 15-40 Set 3, he slammed an easy forehand into the net. Pouille subsequently sliced an ace for 3-0, putting France just games from the Cup.
In the next game, Pouille broke with a forehand down the line. And, on a lucky let cord, he held for 5-0. The Frenchman then broke again for the bagel.
“There are no words needed,” Pouille said. “Just look at the atmosphere and the emotion… I’m just so proud of my team. We really wanted this trophy and finally we got it after 16 years. I’m very happy.”
The vioctory means that Belgium are still yet to win the Davis Cup. Settling for runner-up on three occasions. Meanwhile, France has become only the fourth nation in history to win the tie ten or more times.
“[I’m] just so emotional right now,” Pouille said. “I’m very happy and to play in front of this crowd, my family and my friends, I’m feeling from another world.”
