In one of the most improbable upsets in Davis Cup history, the French "Musketeers" were reborn.
Fifty-nine years after last winning the Davis Cup, France captured the biggest prize in team tennis Sunday as Guy Forget beat Pete Sampras in four sets to clinch a 3-1 victory over the defending champion United States.Inspired by a wild, flag-waving, chanting crowd, Forget served his way out of trouble time after time - he had 17 aces - to overcome Sampras 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
With the outcome of the best-of-5 competition already decided, the team captains canceled the last singles match between Andre Agassi and Henri Leconte.
When Forget hit a forehand volley into the open court on match point and collapsed onto his back in exhilaration, France celebrated one of its biggest sporting achievements in decades.
It may be impossible for Americans to fully comprehend what the victory meant. But try this:
French President Francois Mitterrand immediately sent a telegram to the team.
"I followed with passionate interest the matches you played with your worthy adversaries," the message read. "I extend you my warmest congratulations and thank you sincerely for bringing the Davis Cup back to France."
Forget had his own explanation.
"The American team didn't realize how much the Davis Cup meant to the French people and the French team," he said. "In France, we have the soccer World Cup, the Tour de France and the Davis Cup."
With the sellout crowd of 8,300 at the Palais des Sports chanting "On a Gagne! On a Gagne!" (We Won! We Won!), the French team ran victory laps around the court with the French flag.
After filming the celebration scene with a video recorder, French captain Yannick Noah led his players in a conga-line dance to the strains of his reggae-style pop song "Saga Africa."
"I can't describe the feeling," Noah said. "A dream has come true before our eyes."
"I've been playing tennis for 18 years and this is my greatest victory," Forget said. "It's the most beautiful day of my life."
It was a day that recreated the glory years of the legendary "Four Musketeers" - Rene Lacoste, Henri Cochet, Jacques Brugnon and Jean Borotra - who beat the United States to win the Davis Cup in 1927 and retained the trophy for the next five years before losing to Britain in 1933.
Since then, the French had returned only once to the Davis Cup final, in 1982, when they were humbled 4-1 in Grenoble by a John McEnroe-led U.S. team.
But this time, the Americans couldn't overcome a pair of Frenchmen playing the best tennis of their lives. And Borotra, 93, was in the stands to see it happen. The other surviving Musketeer, Lacoste, watched on television from his home in southern France.
"We still have a lot more to accomplish to do what the Musketeers did," Forget said. "But I'm very proud and happy to see they care as much about us as when they were playing."
Few people gave France a chance of winning - even Forget put the odds at 3-1 in favor of the Americans. But the French began to believe when Leconte, who had played only a few matches since back surgery in July, beat Sampras in the second singles match Friday.
That evened the match at 1-1 following Andre Agassi's victory over Forget. Then, on Saturday, Leconte and Forget played spectacularly to beat Ken Flach and Robert Seguso in doubles.
For the Americans, it was left to Sampras to even the match and give Agassi a chance to win the final point.
It was a tough assignment for Sampras, playing in the Davis Cup for the first time. He won only three fewer points than Forget (122-119), but the Frenchman won the points that counted most.
"It's very disappointing," Sampras said. "I feel like I let down my team. This ends my season on a sour note."
"I think Pete, in his first Davis Cup, was a bit more shaky than Andre," Forget said. "Pete gets affected by the crowd and he misses a few balls. We took advantage of each weakness Pete had."
Gorman said he didn't regret his decision to select Sampras for the final, bypassing Jim Courier, among others. The main reason for the U.S. defeat lay elsewhere, he said.
"We didn't know about Leconte," he said. "He was the man. We never expected him to play so well."
Sunday's match hinged on a few key points - and most were decided by Forget's bullet left-handed serve.
In the first set tiebreaker, Sampras held a set point at 6-5 but Forget responded with a clean ace down the middle. The Frenchman then won the next two points for the set.
"After losing the first set I was a little bit deflated," Sampras said. "The first set was very important to set the tone of the match."
Still, Sampras came back strong in the second set. He got his only service break of the match with a leaping, backhand volley in the second game and went on to close out the set with an ace.
Forget moved out to a 5-3 lead in the third set but then fell behind 15-40 on his serve, offering Sampras two chances to break.
Sampras missed a backhand return on the first. Then Forget came up with perhaps the shot of the match - an ace on his second serve.
"That was a very gutsy move," Sampras said.
"My back was to the wall and I decided to try a risky shot," Forget said. "It was a bit audacious, and a bit lucky, too."
Forget staved off two more break points in the game, then blasted consecutive aces to finish the set.
The decisive service break in the final set came in the fifth game when Forget ripped a backhand passing shot for a 3-2 lead.