Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut win doubles as France beat Spain to reach Davis Cup final

The veteran duo, both 36, won the doubles in straight sets against Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez to give the defending champions an unassailable 3-0 lead against Spain in the semi-final.

An ultimately comfortable 6-0 6-4 7-6 (9/7) victory wrapped up the tie before Sunday’s reverse singles.

The final will be the last to be played in the current traditional Davis Cup format, with the tournament being revamped into a World Cup-style competition from next year.

There could be a repeat of this summer’s football World Cup final as Croatia lead the United States 2-1 in the other semi-final.

However, the Croats missed the chance to seal their place on Saturday when Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic lost a fifth-set tie-break to Mike Bryan and Ryan Harrison.

Elsewhere, Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt’s decision to pick himself in the doubles paid off.

The 37-year-old former Wimbledon champion and partner John Peers claimed a 6-1 6-4 3-6 7-5 victory against Austria’s Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer to pull their play-off tie back to 2-1.