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The 2014 Davis Cup final between visiting Switzerland and host France will commence Friday with a singles rubber between Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka and former Aussie runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Former world No. 1 great Roger Federer is also scheduled to play on Day 1 in Lille. Wawrinka-Tsonga will be followed by a bout between the second-ranked Federer and world No. 19 Frenchman Gael Monfils.
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Saturday's doubles match has a French tandem of Richard Gasquet and Julien Benneteau facing a Swiss duo of Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer, but expect Federer and Wawrinka to team up for that one if Federer is healthy enough to play. The 33-year-old Wimbledon runner-up pulled out of last week's championship match at the ATP World Tour Finals in London due to back problems, which slowed the Swiss legend mightily last season.
Sunday's reverse singles will pit the 17-time Grand Slam king Federer against the 12th-ranked Tsonga and the world No. 4 Wawrinka versus Monfils.
The best-of-five affair will be staged on an indoor clay court at Stade Pierre Mauroy.
Switzerland is captained by Severin Luthi, while France is guided by former Aussie runner-up Arnaud Clement.
The French are 10-2 all-time versus the Swiss in Davis Cup play. The two nations last met in a 2004 quarterfinal that was won by France.
The nine-time champion French are seeking their first Davis Cup title in 13 years, while Switzerland and the iconic Federer have never hoisted the coveted 114-year-old chalice.
[SportsNetwork.com]
