TENNIS NEWS - Lucas Pouille throttled Belgium's Steve Darcis 6-3, 6-1, 6-0 in Sunday's decisive fifth rubber to clinch a 10th Davis Cup title for France in front of a passionate Lille crowd.
Belgian ace David Goffin levelled the final at two points apiece after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets in Sunday's opening reverse singles, but a revitalised Pouille propelled France to a first victory since 2001.
Pouille was beaten convincingly by Goffin in Friday's first singles tie, but the world number 18 shook off that defeat to swat Darcis aside in one hour and 34 minutes.
"There's nothing better than winning as a team, with my mates, in front of the fans, my family and my friends," Pouille told French television.
"We're going to celebrate and make the most of it. I'm proud of my team."
France's triumph received a presidential seal of approval, with French head of state Emmanuel Macron posting on Twitter: "Bravo to all the winning team which has made all of France proud."
It was a third victory as captain for Yannick Noah, who returned for a third stint in charge in 2015 after two spells as skipper in the 1990s.
Noah, the last Frenchman to win a Grand Slam tournament at the 1983 French Open, was vindicated in his selection after surprisingly picking Richard Gasquet to partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert for Saturday's crucial doubles victory.
"To have four different players win the three points is great," an emotional Noah told BeIN Sports.
"Everyone wanted this, we favoured the spirit of the group above individuals... I'm so happy."
Pouille broke Darcis, who had sent Belgium through to the final by winning the deciding rubber against Australia in September's semifinal, at the first attempt to lay the foundation for a memorable triumph.
That proved enough to wrap up the first set, with three further breaks in the second firing Pouille and France to the brink of the title.
Darcis, the world number 76, was powerless to stop a rampant Pouille as the 23-year-old dismantled the Belgian in the third set – winning 25 of 34 points – to end France's run of three straight finals defeats.
Belgium's hopes of claiming a first title in the venerable competition rested with their in-form No 1 Goffin, who downed Tsonga 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-2 after withstanding sustained early pressure.
