At Rouen: France 3 leads Great Britain 0 [Jeremy Chardy bt Daniel Evans 6-2, 6-3, 6-3; Nicolas Mahut & Julien Benneteau bt Jamie Murray & Dominic Inglot 7-6 (7), 5-7, 7-5, 7-5].
The winners of the tie will face either Serbia or Spain in the semi-finals.
Murray said: "Obviously it was a really close match all the way through".
That said, with score level at one-set all and break up in the third, it was the visitors who were playing the better tennis. He then delivered two double faults to offer up a break chance in the sixth game, and Pouille took it for 4-2. He double-faulted to give France the momentum.
It was the latter in particular who turned on the style in the crucial stages, producing two set points out of nowhere, and though Britain defended them manfully, when faced by a third, Murray suffered his first double fault of the match.
But the Londoner played a starring role in levelling the match, with his brilliant lob breaking the Benneteau serve at 5-5 in the second set before Murray served it out.
Mahut grabbed match point with a screaming drive in the 12th game. Then, Mahut's strong backhand down the line gave match point on Murray's serve.
Manchester United slip up in top-four race
Juan Mata believes Manchester United are being punished harshly as a result of injuries and suspensions. "20 matches unbeaten is awesome ".
Mahut sank to his knees as Benneteau tilted his head back and clenched both fists.
"It was the first time I have played at home".
Their win, and Jeremy Chardy's on Friday, justified captain Yannick Noah's disputed selections. And despite not playing in Davis Cup for six years, he was clearly in form in Rouen, getting the late nod over the higher-ranked Gilles Simon to play this tie.
"He had pressure, he put himself into play and did a great job", said Troicki who along with Djokovic and Zimonjic played in the Serbia team which defeated France in the 2010 final.
We sometimes see baseball or basketball players diving into the crowd to make a play, but it's more unusual to see it in tennis.
France has not won the competition since 2001.
Belarus reached the World Group playoffs after beating Austria 3-2 in the second round of the 2017 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I. Belarus will learn its rival after a draw ceremony scheduled for 11 April.
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