It was an All-American pair against a distinctly French duo—and the Europeans won out on Saturday. In a matchup of what may be the two best doubles teams in the world and a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon final, Michael Llodra and Arnaud Clement of France bested the twins Bob and Mike Bryan of the U.S. in four sets, giving the French team life going into the final day Sunday. Llodra and Clement used deft volleys, smart serving and stunning returns to overcome the straight ahead power style of the Bryans. The loss is only the second Davis Cup defeat ever for the Bryans, dropping them to 14-2 for their career playing for the U.S.

The U.S. leads 2-1. Andy Roddick will play Paul-Henri Mathieu in the first match Sunday, and James Blake is schedule d to play Llodra in the fifth and final match. There is much speculation that No. 10-ranked Richard Gasquet, who is with the team, will be substituted for Llodra who has played for two consecutive days. French Captain Guy Forget sat Gasquet on Friday due to blisters on his hand. Forget, however, could also use Gasquet, who beat Roddick in the Wimbledon quarterfinals last summer.

The winner of this team match will play Spain, who defeated Germany 3-0, in the semifinals in September.

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