Andy Roddick couldn’t change the luck of the U.S. on the clay at Paris’ Roland Garros Stadium.
Sebastien Grosjean overcame an ankle injury Sunday and beat Roddick 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, giving France its third win in the best-of-five competition and clinching a spot in the final of the Davis Cup.
Blake beat Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3 in 49 minutes in the final singles match as France won 3-2 overall.
The loss was the United States’ fifth to France in five appearances at Roland Garros. The U.S. team hadn’t played at the home of the French Open since 1932, but Roddick, Blake and Todd Martin struggled on the slow surface–just as their predecessors had.
“We’re going to be a force on clay,” U.S. team captain Patrick McEnroe pledged after the loss.
Defending champion France will play Russia, a 3-2 winner over Argentina in the other semifinal, in the final Nov. 29-Dec. 1. The French are seeking their first back-to-back titles since 1932.
“He just stayed there mentally the whole time,” Roddick said of Grosjean. “I don’t know if I wouldn’t have minded a faster surface, but you’ve got to play with the cards that you’re dealt.”
– Serena Williams rebounded from a shaky start and beat Kim Clijsters 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win the Toyota Princess Cup at Tokyo.
Williams, the world’s No. 1 player and the tournament’s top seed, captured her seventh title of the year and improved to 5-0 against Clijsters, the No. 3 seed.
