Summary France beat Israel 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-0 in the doubles on Saturday.
ROUEN, France:- France beat Israel 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-0 in the doubles on Saturday for an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the Davis Cup first-round match and a place in the quarterfinals.
After Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet won their singles on Friday, Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra had little trouble brushing aside Israel s makeshift pairing of Jonathan Erlich and Dudi Sela after a competitive first set.
The only danger for France came when Benneteau swiped a forehand from the back of the court that just missed Llodra s head before landing in to give France its first match point. Benneteau missed an easy smash at the net but Llodra s ace on the next point sealed victory.
France captain Arnaud Clement may now change his lineup for Sunday s reverse singles.
