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France face uphill task in Davis Cup quarter-final

France, weakened by an injury to Jerome Golmard, are seeking World Cup inspiration in their Davis Cup quarter-final against Brazil.

Youngster Sebastien Grosjean is likely to stand in for Golmard, ranked 24 in the world, in the singles and he has sported a ''Les Bleus'' shirt during practice this week.

Brazilian No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten played down any idea of revenge for Brazil's World Cup final defeat by France in Paris.

''I'm sure people will talk about it,'' he said. ''But we already have enough things to think about without adding another.''

Grosjean and veteran Cedric Pioline are expected to square up to clay court specialists Fernando Meligeni, a French Open semi-finalist this year, and former Roland Garros champion Kuerten in the opening singles at the Pau Sports Hall tomorrow.

France have decided it is to their advantage to play on a fast indoor surface, rather than clay, despite the tie being played in mid-summer.

The hall, home to French basketball champions Pau-Orthez, should be packed and provide the French team with an atmosphere they hope will unsettle the Brazilians, whose weak point is the doubles on Saturday.

France are expected to play Wimbledon semi-finalists Fabrice Santoro and Olivier Delaitre, one of the world's best pairs, in the doubles even though veterans Pioline and Guillaume Raoux won brilliantly in the 4-1 first round defeat of The Netherlands.

Kuerten and Jaime Oncins lost their doubles in the first round tie against Spain in Lerida in April. Kuerten beat Alex Corretja and Carlos Moya in the tie's singles matches.

The surface is unlikely to bother Kuerten, who showed his adaptability by reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals - he had never won a match on grass before the Championships.

''I knew I could adapt if I had confidence and remained very concentrated to keep in mind the changes I have to make to my usual game on clay,'' Kuerten said.

''It's mainly a mental thing ... The games you can win on your opponent's serve are rare and then, suddenly, you have your chance. You can't let it pass. You have to be permanently concentrated,'' he said.

MOSCOW: Injury-hit Russia have gambled by choosing to tackle Davis Cup giant-killers Slovakia on clay in their World Group quarter-final starting tomorrow.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin were both defeated by Dominik Hrbaty at the French Open in May. But the Russians will play Karol Kucera, ranked 13 in the world, and 19th-ranked Hrbaty on clay at the Olympic Sports Complex.

''If Kafelnikov can play on any surface, the clay is better suited for Safin,'' said team captain Shamil Tarpishchev.

''I think our chances are much better if we play on clay rather than on a faster surface.''

Russia, who reached the Davis Cup final in 1994 and 1995, defeated Boris Becker's Germany 3-2 in the first round with Kafelnikov winning both his singles in Frankurt.

But injury and loss of form have hit team members and Russia will have to be at the top of their game to beat Slovakia, surprise 3-2 winners over defending champions Sweden in April, and reach the semi-finals for the first time in four years.

Safin, ranked 37th, has not played since his loss to Hrbaty because of a serious elbow injury. He had won just three matches out of nine on clay before the French Open where he reached the last 16.

Kafelnikov is still nursing a nagging hamstring pull which forced him to quit his third round match at Wimbledon against Cedric Pioline of France.

Ranked four in the world, Kafelnikov has had a strange year, winning the Australian Open before losing his first match in six successive tournaments. World No. 1 in May, he has lost more matches on clay this year than he has won.

To make the matters worse for the hosts, doubles specialist Aandrei Olkhovsky underwent knee surgery last month and remains doubtful.

Slovakia, under the tutelage of former US Open finalist Miloslav Mecir, arrived in Moscow in good spirits and healthy.

''The russians look strong but we came here to win,'' said the Slovak captain.

Hrbaty has won all three matches he has played against Kafelnikov in the past three years, two of which were on clay.

UNI