France will play host to the Netherlands in the Fed Cup finals in October, while the United States stayed in Group I for the 1998 event.
Both France and the Netherlands won deciding doubles matches Sunday, and the United States completed a 5-0 sweep of Japan with a doubles victory by Lindsay Davenport and Lisa Raymond.The French, who eliminated Belgium, will be playing for the title for the first time after losing in the semifinals the last four years. The Dutch won the other semifinal at the Czech Republic.
At Brookline, Mass., the United States won a playoff to remain in Group I next year with its sweep of Japan, capped by Davenport and Raymond's doubles victory over Naoko Kijimuta and Nana Miyagi 6-4, 6-4.
Nathalie Tauziat and Alexandra Fusai rallied to give France the clinching point in a 3-2 victory in Nice. They won eight straight games at one point to beat Dominique Van Roost and Els Callens 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Van Roost had beaten Fusai 6-3, 6-3, to set up the deciding doubles after France's Sandrine Testud downed Sabine Appelmans in the opening singles 6-2, 6-4.
At Prague, Miriam Oremans and Manon Bollegraf defeated Wimbledon finalist Jana Novotna and Eva Martincova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). Earlier, Oremans defeated Adriana Gersi 1-6, 6-2, 9-7 to make it 2-2 after Novotna defeated Brenda Schultz-McCarthy 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.
"It was very difficult, but we both played excellent tennis," Novotna said. "When her first serve turns out well, it's unreturnable."
France's latest victory comes a year after the men's team defeated Sweden in the Davis Cup final.
"I feel very privileged," said France's Yannick Noah, captain of the men's and women's teams. "And very lucky."
The Fed Cup championship will be in France on Oct. 4-5.
Martina Hingis of Switzerland, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain and Anke Huber of Germany led their countries to victory in playoffs for World Group 1.
At Zurich, Hingis led Switzerland to a 5-0 sweep of Argentina. The Wimbledon and Australian Open champion crushed Argentina's Florencia Labat 6-2, 6-1.
Patty Schnyder routed Maria Jose Gaidano 6-1, 6-0, before Hingis and Emmanuelle Gagliardi defeated Mercedes Paz and Laura Montalvo 6-3, 6-4.
At Frankfurt, Huber upset French Open champion Iva Majoli and then anchored a doubles victory to help Germany edge Croatia 3-2.
Spain defeated Australia 3-2 in a playoff at Gold Coast. Maria Luisa Serna secured Spain's victory with a 6-1, 6-3 win against Rachel McQuillan. Australia won the doubles.
In the playoffs for World Group 2, Austria's Barbara Schett keyed a 3-2 victory over South Africa with singles and doubles victories.
Italy blanked Indonesia 5-0 in Jakarta and Slovakia did the same against Canada in Bratislava. Russia won all four singles matches, but lost the doubles in a 4-1 victory over South Korea at Seoul.
At Newport, R.I., Sargis Sargsian became the ATP Tour's first Armenian champion, beating New Zealand's Brett Steven 7-6 (7-0), 4-6, 7-5 in the Hall of Fame Championships on grass.
"I don't know what happened with my serve today. It just clicked," said the fifth-seeded Sargsian, who had 17 aces and just two double faults. "I was serving harder than I have all week."
"He served unbelievable, and he deserved the win," said Steven, who reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon this year.