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LA ROCHE-SUR-YON, France -- Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga both won in straight sets to give France a commanding 2-0 lead against Australia in their first-round Davis Cup tie on Friday. The ninth-ranked Gasquet had little trouble beating teenager Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-2, and the 10th-ranked Tsonga followed up just as emphatically to dispatch Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (2) and improve to 4-0 in head-to-heads against the former two-time Grand Slam champion. "They were two very good matches," France captain Arnaud Clement said. "They did what they had to do and played the right way." Gael Monfils is scheduled to play alongside doubles specialist Julien Benneteau against Hewitt and Chris Guccione in Saturdays doubles, where a win will seal Frances place in the quarterfinals against Spain or Germany in April. But Clement may change his players around. "Everythings possible for tomorrow," he said. "I have a little idea." Australia captain Pat Rafter said France "were too good" and that "Jo played very well." Tsonga saved a break-point in his opening service game, before breaking Hewitt in the sixth game with a backhand winner. Tsonga took both of his break-point chances in a tight second set, and both players saved two break-points each in the third. "He was fighting right until the end, even though I dominated the first two sets," Tsonga said. "Im happy to have played well and to give France the second point. Ive been playing very well for a while now. I didnt have much luck at the Australian Open because I came up against a very good Roger Federer." Gasquet was a heavy favourite against a player ranked 162nd, but the 18-year-old Kyrgios competed well in a tight first set where neither player offered a chance on their serve. "Hes a good player with a big serve and a big forehand," Gasquet said. "He has a lot of determination and hes very young, too, so I wasnt very at ease in the first set. I could have lost that tie-breaker and you never know what can happen after that." He broke Kyrgios serve twice in the second and third sets and clinched victory on his third match point when Kyrgios backhand down the line landed just wide. "The first set was really important for me and then I felt better and then my backhand started to work better," Gasquet said. "Its my best shot so if I want to win games it has to function properly." It is the first meeting between the nations since the 2001 Davis Cup final in Melbourne, which France won for its ninth and last title. Australia has an impressive 28 titles but none since 2003. Austin Romine Jersey . - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand. 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"This doesnt end anything," he said. "Weve got 10-1 in our last 11 games, and were going home in first place. We just have to keep playing the way we are right now." Anibal Sanchez pitched seven sharp innings, and the Detroit Tigers snapped Kansas Citys 10-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory Thursday. J.D. Martinez hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth for the Tigers, who avoided a four-game sweep and pulled within a half-game of the AL Central-leading Royals. Sanchez (4-2) allowed five hits and a walk, keeping the Kansas City offence quiet even though he failed to strike out a batter. Joba Chamberlain pitched the eighth, and struggling closer Joe Nathan struck out the side in the ninth for his 14th save in 18 chances. Danny Duffy (4-6) allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out five. "We just had a great road trip, Danny Duffy just pitched a great game, and we lost a game to a great pitcher and a home run where I have no idea how J.D. Martinez hit the ball out of the park," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "All I can do is tip my cap to him, because he killed us all series." Butler gave the Royals a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the first, but Miguel Cabrera drove in a run with a double of his own in the fourth. Cabrera was tagged out on a bizarre double play when right fielder Nori Aoki caught Victor Martinezs flyball and threw back to the infield, where Cabrera was nonchalantly returning to second. Shortstop Alcides Escobar caught the ball and made the tag. Cabrera was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned on replay. J.D. Martinez followed with a solo homer to right, his sixth of the year. He now has a nine-game hitting streak, with a .412 averagge in that span, and he hopes this win will end a stretch in which so much has gone badly for the Tigers.dddddddddddd. Detroit won for only the 10th time in its last 30 games. "Its funny, even talking to the umpires, they even chime in and say it. Theyre like, Dude, everything thats going wrong just seems to be going wrong for you guys. You guys just got to grind through it," Martinez said. "You see the breaks that weve been getting. We hit the ball hard, it gets caught. We hit it soft, it gets caught. We get on base, the ball goes to the backstop, comes back, gets thrown out, were out of an inning. Its just kind of like, craziness." Sanchez went without a strikeout for the first time in his career, but his fielders helped him. Third baseman Nick Castellanos reached over the railing of the Detroit dugout to catch a foul popup in the sixth. Nathan, who signed with the Tigers in the off-season, brought a 6.57 ERA into the game. He struck out Butler to start the ninth -- the Kansas City designated hitter argued the called third strike -- and Salvador Perez went down swinging. With the crowd on its feet and anxious for a much-needed win, Nathan struck out Lorenzo Cain to end it. "That looked like the Joe Nathan Ive faced for years," Butler said. "All those times with the Twins and then with Texas -- the one with a few hundred saves and all those All-Star games. Hes had some tough moments in his career, but that looked like the same guy today." The Royals were without outfielder Alex Gordon, who sat out because of flu-like symptoms. Detroit outfielder Torii Hunter (hamstring) did not play either. NOTES: The Tigers play at Cleveland on Friday night. Detroit RHP Rick Porcello (8-4) faces Cleveland RHP Corey Kluber (6-4). ... The Royals host Seattle. Kansas City RHP James Shields (7-3) takes on Mariners RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (5-3). ' ' '