Bryan brothers put US in control at Davis Cup

World number one doubles pair Bob and Mike Bryan gave the United States a 2-1 lead in their Davis Cup tie with France in Monte Carlo.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had given France the lead yesterday before John Isner levelled and the Bryan brothers gave the Americans the advantage with two rubbers left with a 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7/4) victory.

The first two sets were close with the Bryans edging their opponents thanks to a break of serve in each set.

In the third, there were no breaks with both pairs playing tight, controlled tennis with minimal unforced errors and they tied at 6-6 to force a tie-break.

The Bryan brothers moved to 6-4 and match point and they prompted a driven forehand error to seal victory in two hours seven minutes.

Tsonga will tomorrow take on Isner with Gilles Simon facing teenager Ryan Harrison in what could be the deciding rubber.

The Czech Republic took a 2-1 lead against Serbia after Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek beat Ilija Bozoljac and Nenad Zimonjic 6-4 6-2 7-6 (7/4).

After edging the first set, the Czech pair dominated the second and looked set for an easy win when they raced into a 3-0 lead in the third.

Bozoljac and Zimonjic refused to throw in the towel and fought back to force a tie-break, but the home pair held their nerve to seal the win.