Davis Cup Final 2014: Day 1 Scores and Results for France vs. Switzerland
The first day of the World Cup of tennis produced some memorable action as France and Switzerland shared the spoils in the Davis Cup final—tied at 1-1.
Stan Wawrinka defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first match of the day, with the World No. 4 claiming his victory with a 3-1 win: 1-6, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6.
But it was Gael Monfils who gained the biggest cheer of the night as he destroyed Roger Federer in a straight sets victory: 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.
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Here is confirmation of the results from Day 1:
| Stan Wawrinka beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 1-6, 6-3. 3-6, 2-6 |
| Gael Monfils beat Roger Federer | 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 |
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga v Stan Wawrinka
Much had been made before the match about Stan Wawrinka's public spat with national colleague Roger Federer, but there were no signs of the issue during the Swiss star's first game of the Davis Cup final with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Wawrinka performed imperiously against his French opponent, hitting a brilliant 61 winners, per ATPworldtour.com.
It was the third time that the highly ranked Switzerland machine has beaten Tsonga on clay, with Wawrinka showing his power and control.
Wawrinka controlled the match for most of the proceedings, with Tsonga looking like a shadow of the player who challenged for Grand Slams not so long ago.
In the first set, Wawrinka raced to a 1-0 lead in just 27 minutes after winning five games in row, proving it was going to be a very difficult night for the French player very early on.
But Tsonga hit back in the second, surprisingly claiming the set 6-3 after hitting a much improved 16 winners to get back into the match.
But Wawrinka then slipped into a higher gear and proceeded to outclass Tsonga with his strength.
The Swiss player took the third set in just 42 minutes to reestablish himself as the front-runner.
And Wawrinka wasted no time in the fourth and final set, seeing Tsonga off by 6-2. It was just the start that Switzerland had wanted but Roger Federer was unable to build on this platform.
Gael Monfils v Roger Federer
Gael Monfils took full advantage of Roger Federer's lack of fitness and destroyed the tennis legend with a straight-sets victory.
Federer had to withdraw from the World Tour final after his injury, and his movement on the court was clearly hindered.
Monfils was rock solid off his serve in the first set, hitting 17 of 17 first-service points, giving Federer little chance to find his game. The Frenchman took the first set 6-1, and the writing was on the wall for Switzerland.
The second set was much of the same, with Monfils in inspired form on the back of a lively Lille crowd.
Monfils took the set 6-4, with Federer making a host of unforced errors and allowing Monfils to play his best tennis.
Tactically, the Frenchman had Federer very much in the palm of his hand as he controlled the court and continually hurt his opponent.
And it was not long until the inevitable happened—with Monfils taking the third and final set, 6-3.
Caro Paquin of BATennis World commented on Federer's clear disappointment, with the player unable to play his best tennis due to his injury:
It was an outstanding performance by the French star, and he was clearly motivated by the event and surroundings. He had looked nervous coming out into the stadium for the match but showed none of this during the game.
It is difficult to see how Federer can influence proceedings in the next two days, and the weight is fully on Wawrinka's shoulders. The French will smell blood despite the overall score being 1-1, with their superior fitness and rankings now making them firm favourites.
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