LILLE, France (AP) — In a contest with nothing at stake except pride, Marcel Granollers of Spain defeated Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-7 (2), 6-3, 13-11 in the final singles match of their Davis Cup semifinal on Sunday.
France sealed its spot in the final on Saturday when Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut won the doubles to give the hosts an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Earlier Sunday, Albert Ramos Vinolas beat Richard Gasquet 1-6, 6-4, 14-12. France advanced with a 3-2 win.
France, which reached back-to-back finals for the first time since 2002, will face Croatia in the final after Borna Coric ended a sustained comeback bid from the United States. Coric rallied from two sets to one down to beat Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (0), 6-1, 6-7 (11), 6-1, 6-3 in the fifth and decisive match.
Spain was without top-ranked Rafael Nadal, who was ruled out because of the right-knee injury that forced him to retire from his U.S. Open semifinal against Juan Martin del Potro.
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