The 2017 Davis Cup final between Belgium and France will begin on Friday with a pair of singles rubbers. Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will try to get the host nation off to a strong start against David Goffin and Steve Darcis, respectively.
(BEL) David Goffin vs. (FRA) Lucas Pouille
Goffin and Pouille will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they contest the first rubber of the Davis Cup final in Lille, France on Friday afternoon. Pouille has won all three of their previous encounters, with all three having come in 2016. The 18th-ranked Frenchman prevailed 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 in Brisbane, 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(7) in Madrid, and 7-6(6), 6-1 in Metz.
There is a chance that this could be Goffin’s last match of what has been a stellar 2017 campaign. Despite missing the grass-court swing and being less than 100 percent for the hard-court summer, the eighth-ranked Belgian still qualified for the ATP Finals. And he made the most his opportunity there, too, upsetting Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer before losing the title match to Grigor Dimitrov. Pouille, who was still in distant London contention at the Paris Masters, is 35-21 this season with three titles. His third triumph of the year recently came in Vienna at the expense of Davis Cup teammate Tsonga. It would be understandable if Goffin is fatigued, so Pouille may have an edge if he can at least make it a competitive, prolonged battle.
Pick: Pouille in 5
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(BEL) Steve Darcis vs. (FRA) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Darcis is ranked 61 spots behind Tsonga at No. 76 in the world, but rankings can always be thrown out the window whenever Darcis takes the court for Davis Cup duty. The 33-year-old Belgian is 22-9 lifetime in singles in the team competition, with 17 of his victories having come indoors. One of his biggest wins came in the decisive fifth rubber of the 2015 World Group semifinals, in which Darcis took down Argentina’s Federico Delbonis in a four-setter. He is an outstanding 4-1 this year, suffering his lone loss at he hands of Nick Kyrgios in five sets. Darcis upset both Philipp Kohlschreiber and Alexander Zverev in a surprise first-round victory over Germany and he thrashed Jordan Thompson in the fifth rubber of Belgium’s semifinal win over Australia.
Friday will mark the second career meeting between Darcis and Tsonga (first at the main-tour level). They last faced each other 15 years ago on the Futures circuit, where Tsonga won via retirement. Injuries were a problem for Darcis back then and nothing has ever changed; the story has been a similar one for Tsonga, although not quite to the same extent. The 32-year-old appears to be healthy at the moment, as a title in Antwerp followed by runner-up showing in Vienna put him in the London discussion going into Paris. But an opening loss to Julien Benneteau ended those hopes in a hurry. A relatively in-form and well-rested Tsonga should be able to prevent Darcis from orchestrating another Davis Cup masterpiece.
Pick: Tsonga in 4
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