Unbeaten doubles specialists Ken Flach and Robert Seguso gave the United States an insurmountable 3-0 Davis Cup quarterfinal lead Saturday night over France with a four-set victory over Yannick Noah and Guy Forget.
Flach and Seguso's 10th straight Davis Cup victory as a team - a 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-3) triumph - helped move the U.S. squad a step closer to regaining the Davis Cup, which they last held when they defeated the French in the 1982 final.The Americans advanced to a July 21-23 meeting with the winner of the match between defending champion West Germany and Czechoslovakia.
Flach and Seguso, who have remained unbeaten since first teaming up in Davis Cup competition in 1985, won the first two sets.
But the French came back to capture the third set, stopping Seguso's serve in the fifth game and preventing a possible American sweep. It was the first time the French were able to break an American's serve.
The Americans held a 6-5 lead in the fourth set. On the changeover, the near-capacity crowd, sensing victory with a service break by Forget, cheered wildly and chanted, "U.S.A., U.S.A."
But Forget easily held his serve without yielding a point, forcing the second tie-breaker of the match.
Tied 2-2, the Americans ran off four of the five next points to hold triple match point at 6-3. Seguso ended the 2-hour, 55-minute drama by punching a short forehand-volley winner past Noah.
John McEnroe, who sparked the Americans by defeating Noah in Friday night's opening-round singles match, grabbed an American flag and waved it wildly near the center of the court, sending the crowd of 12,584 into a frenzy.
The Americans had little trouble winning the opening set, capitalizing on a pair of early breaks and their effective service.