Australia gain 1-0 advantage

Australia gain 1-0 advantage
REUTERS

NICE, DEC 3: Australia took a 1-0 lead over France in the Davis Cup final when Mark Philippoussis crushed Sebastien Grosjean 6-4 6-2 6-4 in today's opening singles.The big-serving Australian dominated his younger opponent on the clay, the surface chosen by the French, to win in just under two hours on his first match point.

Philippousis, who used his booming first serve to great effect, broke his opponent five times in the match while allowing Grosjean only one service break in the opening set.French captain Guy Forget had predicted that a tall and heavy player like the world No 19 would have trouble on the indoor clay surface and tire quickly, but the Australian was rarely in trouble.

It was the Frenchman who was forced to do all the running in the one-sided match.