Grosjean Leaves U.S. in the Dust

Sebastien Grosjean tumbled into the brick dust in the second set, spraining his right ankle, and the U.S. team’s hopes of extending the Davis Cup semifinal to a fifth match were still alive.

But Grosjean got up and only got better, the adrenaline flowing like the champagne sprayed about the court after his 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Andy Roddick on Sunday. France will defend its title against Russia in the final in November.

“There was a desire factor,” Grosjean said. “A desire to win. The atmosphere, the crowd made me forget the ankle.”

After an injury timeout to have it taped, he played cautiously for a few points, then was back on a fierce, quick prowl to squash any hopes the Americans had of taking the series to a determining fifth match between James Blake and Arnaud Clement, the Friday conqueror of Roddick.

Had that happened, the pandemonium couldn’t have increased. It was already at fever pitch, a horn-blowing, drum-pounding, chanting, singing, flag-flapping battle in the stands between rival factions of faithful, 1,500 Americans against 13,700 homebodies, a rare ambience for tennis. But never disorderly or hostile. The American players reveled in it as much as the French.

“A fun atmosphere. I didn’t want it to end,” Blake said Saturday after he and Todd Martin had won a most excruciating doubles match over Fabrice Santoro and Michael Llodra, 2-6, 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, in 3 1/4 hours. That kept their side breathing into Sunday after the 0-2 U.S. start Friday.

Blake did beat Clement in the unnecessary closing match, 6-4, 6-3, so the series result was France 3, U.S. 2.

The 5-foot-9 Grosjean was once told by French Federation coaches that he was too small to be a good player, and was denied financial help. He was big enough to make all the French front pages today, after playing “my best Cup match.”

He and Clement are so fast and resourceful, retrievers supreme, that they made Roddick look bewildered.

“With my ankle I had trouble moving backward,” Grosjean said, so the young man in the backward cap decided “to move forward more, play aggressive.”

That he did. Usually a baseline grinder, he played some startling serve-and-volley tennis, made sneak volleys, hit blinding passing shots and outserved Roddick, placing the ball admirably. He threw Roddick off by scoring on eight of nine drop shots in the early going.

“Grosjean stuck around mentally the whole time,” said Roddick, ranked 11th in the world. He also acknowledged, “I’m still learning.”

“Both he and James are,” U.S. Captain Patrick McEnroe said. “They’re passionate for Davis Cup, and will form a solid nucleus.

“The pressure from the crowd, and Clement and Grosjean, was good for them. They may have lost but they fought well. They just need consistency in matches like this. They let some big points get away.

“Against Clement, Andy had five set points in the second and was two points from winning the third-set tiebreaker,” McEnroe said of Roddick’s 4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-1 loss Friday. “And James had points to take Grosjean into a fifth set” before losing, 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 7-5.