Richard gave France a 2-0 in the tie against Israel by beating Dudi Sela 6-3 6-2 6-2.
Only the start was hesitating. Richard lost his opening service game, but could correct this quite quickly with a rebreak for 2 all. From that moment onwards he allowed no more breakpoints, getting better and better the longer the match lasted. One break was enough to seal the first set, two further breaks in each set decided the match in which Sela scored some nice points, but had no answer to Richard's overall domination: 93 versus 65 points.
