BOLOGNA, Italy — Raphael Collignon rallied past Corentin Moutet 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 to give Belgium a 1-0 lead over 10-time champion France in their Davis Cup quarterfinal Tuesday.
Both nations are back at this stage of the team competition since it was revamped in 2019. The Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna is the sixth edition of the event to have the champion decided at a neutral site.
Moutet played solid tennis until the 12th game of the second set when he hit two double faults and fluffed an easy point at the net after trying a between-the-legs shot, dropping his serve as Collignon forced a decider.
A similar scenario unfolded in the third set as Collignon made the decisive break in the final game.
“It was a crazy match,” Collignon said.
Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech took on Zizou Bergs in the second singles. Ties are played as a best-of-three matches: two singles and one doubles.
France has won its last four meetings with Belgium, including in the 2017 final.
The winner will face either No. 1 Italy or Austria in Friday’s semifinal. The last two quarterfinals will be held Thursday, including No. 2 Germany against Argentina, and Spain against the No. 4-seeded Czech Republic.
Spain is without top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who withdrew earlier Tuesday because of a hamstring injury.