Pouille Leads Davis Cup Champions France Against Italy

France captain Yannick Noah is counting on world number 80 Lucas Pouille getting the defending champions off to a winning start in their Davis Cup quarter-final at Genoa on Friday.

Genoa, Italy, April 5 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Apr, 2018 ) :France captain Yannick Noah is counting on world number 80 Lucas Pouille getting the defending champions off to a winning start in their Davis Cup quarter-final at Genoa on Friday.

Chardy takes on Andreas Seppi with Noah preferring to play world number 25 Adrian Mannarino in the day's second singles against Italy's top player Fabio Fognini. Chardy boasts an unbeaten record in the competition with five wins out of five while Mannarino, despite his better ranking, has proved less assured on the clay surface used in Genoa.

Unusually none of the French regulars - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet, Ga�l Monfils and Gilles Simon - figure in Noah's team with most absent due to injury.

The winner of this last eight match-up will go on to face either Spain or Germany in the September semi-finals.

Italy v France Davis Cup quarter-final draw Friday (0930 GMT) Andreas Seppi (ITA) v Lucas Pouille (FRA) Fabio Fognini (ITA) v Jeremy Chardy (FRA) Saturday (1200) Simone Bolelli/Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) v Nicolas Mahut/Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) Sunday (0930) Fabio Fognini (ITA) v Lucas Pouille (FRA) Andreas Seppi (ITA) v Jeremy Chardy (FRA)