Croatia eases to 2-0 lead

LILLE, France—Croatia is on the verge of its second Davis Cup crown after Borna Coric and Marin Cilic dispatched their France rivals in the opening singles of the final on Friday.

Croatia, which won its sole title in 2005, leads 2-0 and just needs one more point to depose the defending champions in northern France this weekend.

The Croatians clearly have the best players, who have not lost away from home since 2015. History also plays in their favor: Since Australia in 1939, no team has recovered from a 2-0 deficit in a final.

A glimmer of hope remains for the hosts, though, with Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The French pair reached the final at the ATP Finals last week and is slightly favored against Mate Pavic and Ivan Dodig in Saturday’s doubles.

After Coric dismantled Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 7-5, 6-4, the seventh-ranked Cilic beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 on the indoor clay court at Pierre Mauroy Stadium.

France hoped the slow surface would be a problem for Cilic and Coric, who had to quickly adapt to clay after playing last week on a hard court at the ATP Finals in London. Cilic played in the elite event, while Coric practiced as a reserve.

But the Croats were unfazed and excelled in front of a hostile crowd.

Croatia is trying to win its second Davis Cup title in its third final, while defending champion France is bidding for an 11th title.