France lead US 2-0 in
Davis Cup semis

Champions France roared to the brink of their third Davis Cup final in four years on Friday when young Americans Andy Roddick and James Blake fell victim to claycourt guile and experience at the home of French tennis.

Sebastien Grosjean handed France a 2-0 lead after quelling a brave James Blake comeback 6-4, 6-1, 6-7, 7-5 -- the American appeared a broken man in the second set and was forced to save three match points in the third set tiebreak.

Earlier Arnaud Clement lost the first four games against a rampant Andy Roddick but wore down the power-hitting 20-year-old with his double-handed backhand to win 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-1.

Neither of the Americans had lost in the Davis Cup before -- a total of 12 matches -- and the experience of Andre Agassi, a former French Open champion on these Roland Garros courts, and U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras were badly missed.

"Experience prevailed," McEnroe said after Blake, 21, lost. "But I'm so proud of James, he got himself back in the match, I'm really happy with the way he fought back.

"It's going to be tough now."

The Americans, who have never won in Paris in the century-long history of the competition, have never come back from 2-0 down to win a tie since the world group format was introduced in the early 1970s.

DEJECTED BLAKE

McEnroe has named Mardy Fish and Todd Martin for Saturday's doubles but he had hinted he could change the team depending on Friday's results. The winners play Russia or Argentina in the final.

The manner of Roddick's defeat -- he threw away five set points in the third -- affected Blake who looked dejected in the first two sets against an opponent who kept hammering away on his forehand and letting Blake make the errors.

At one stage Blake hit an easy forehand volley well wide, threw his racket to the ground and covered his face with his hands in anguish.

But after a change of shirt and a talk with McEnroe he raised his game in the third set. That set went to a tiebreak and Blake saved three match points before winning it 9-7.

He then roared to a 4-1 lead in the fourth but Grosjean came back. Both men slugged it out with breathtaking tennis before Grosjean, who has been complaining of back pain this week, won on his fourth match point after three hours and three minutes.

"He showed his courage when he lost those match points -- he came back. We've had a great day today," said France captain Guy Forget.

Roddick, 20, had boasted a perfect 7-0 cup record coming into the match but Clement had too much claycourt experience and baseline invention.

HUNT POINTS

"In a match like that you have to play with your heart and go hunting for points," said Clement who has never lost an opening day singles in the competition.

"Andy had a lot of opportunities to win the second and third sets and Arnaud came up with some incredible shots but we saw perhaps Andy's inexperience," McEnroe said. "He's going to learn from this."

Roddick, ranked 11 to Clement's 42, threatened to overwhelm the Frenchman at the start.

The American lost just one point on his serve to move 5-1 ahead before Clement, mixing his game up cleverly, broke back for 5-3 as Roddick appeared to lose concentration.

But Roddick closed out the first set in 36 minutes when Clement netted a backhand.

The standard of tennis cranked up a couple of notches in the second set as Clement found his length and served up a string of superb drop shots from the baseline.

Two moments of pure class in the tiebreak allowed Clement to level the match at one set apiece.

A low backhand volley to the corner -- which Roddick applauded -- set up a 7-6 lead before a forehand drop shot from the baseline left Roddick for dead and sent the Roland Garros crowd into raptures.

The Frenchman struggled to take advantage of his chances -- he converted just one break point from 14 opportunities in the first three sets. He appeared to tire in the third and was forced to save five set points to set up another tiebreak.

At 6-5 down, he saved himself with a lucky net cord and another superb backhand volley which left Roddick flat on his back in the dirt.

Once again, the tiebreak brought the best out of both men and the crowd and again it was Clement who emerged victorious when Roddick hit a forehand wide at 6-5.

The fourth set was all Clement and he won the three hour 14 minute opener on his third match point.

"I'm extremely disappointed, it really hurts," said Roddick. "Losing a grand slam match is just for yourself... in the Davis Cup you're playing for a whole team, a whole country, it's a lot deeper."