In Davis Cup, Bryans Suffer A Rare Defeat

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 12 -- Bob and Mike Bryan were struggling to describe how the "automatic point" for the United States Davis Cup team had failed to close out France on Saturday when captain Patrick McEnroe chimed in.

"These guys are human. You see them? They're human," McEnroe said. "We count on them. Everybody always says, 'The doubles are a lock.' Well, they played a great team and they played well."

The joking and loose French pair of Michael Llodra and Arnaud Clément ended the Bryans' doubles dominance, rallying past the top-ranked twins, 6-7 (9-7), 7-5, 6-3, 6-4, to cut the Americans' lead to 2-1 in the best-of-five competition.

The Bryans had been 14-1 in Davis Cup play and 5-0 in clinching situations, but they couldn't secure a spot for the United States in the semifinals against Spain. Llodra and Clément, who said they discussed wine between points, raised their record to 4-2 against the Bryans and kept the French alive for Sunday's reverse singles.

"We knew before the match when the Bryans lead they are very big on the court," Llodra said. "We knew we had to stay positive and have a good attitude. That's the key when you are down in the score. In the middle of the fourth set, I saw the Bryans were a little bit shorter."

In the other quarterfinals, Spain swept Germany, 3-0; Argentina leads Sweden, 2-1; and Russia leads Czech Republic, 2-1.

A day after Andy Roddick and James Blake put the United States in command with singles wins, the Bryans wasted a chance to pass John McEnroe and Peter Fleming as the winningest U.S. Davis Cup doubles team.

"We wanted to shut it down so we could have a good time tonight," Mike Bryan said.

Instead the pressure shifts to Roddick, who will play the first match Sunday against Paul-Henri Mathieu or perhaps Richard Gasquet if he's recovered from a blister on his right hand and a sore knee. Blake is tentatively scheduled to play Llodra in the final match.