PARIS -- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet put France back in the Davis Cup final by winning the doubles and ending the two-year reign of the Czech Republic on Saturday. Genesis Cabrera . Tsonga and Gasquet, who won their singles on Friday, gave Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek a rare doubles defeat in Davis Cup, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-1 at Roland Garros. France, with an unassailable 3-0 lead, made the final for the first time since 2010. It won the last of its nine cups in 2001. The defending champion Czechs needed to win the doubles to keep alive their chances of reaching a third straight final, but Stepanek played with an apparent right hip injury that required frequent treatment, and Berdych, who lost his singles to Gasquet, struggled with consistency. "In the beginning of the second set I felt something in my lower back, I did not pay much attention to it, but with the time spent on the court it was getting worse and worse, and at the end of the second set I was very limited in my movements," said Stepanek, who was unable to sit during the news conference. "In normal circumstances I would have retired, but I believed I had to somehow finish the match." Both captains amended their pairings before the match, but Berdych and Stepanek could not extend their winning partnership, as they were handed only their second loss in 17 doubles in the competition, the last occasion to Spain in the 2009 final. France will either play the final away to Italy or at home against Switzerland. The Swiss lead 2-1 and the French players are already relishing the prospect of taking om Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka from Nov. 21-23. "To host such players is just fabulous," Gasquet said. "I know that Federer has yet to win the Davis Cup, but he has won 17 Grand Slam titles. He can leave us the Davis Cup." Berdych, who struggled to adjust to clay after reaching the U.S. Open quarterfinals last week, praised France. "The guy from the French team that played the most in Paris (Gael Monfils), who should play on clay for them, did not even step out on the court," he said. "Without him, they achieved a great result. It just shows how difficult the Davis Cup is. We did not have as many options as them, that was the difference." France captain Arnaud Clement admitted he was fortunate to have in-form players available. "Today, I had three possible teams, and all of them were capable of winning this match," he said. The French got off to a strong start on centre court, breaking in the second game when Gasquet fired a shot at Berdychs feet. They quickly led 4-1 but dropped three consecutive games as Stepanek raised his level. In the tiebreak, Gasquet unleashed a superb backhand pass to put the French 4-2 ahead, but the the Czechs regained momentum as they won five straight points to close out the set. The French had to dig deep to stave off seven break points early in the second set, and went a break up at 3-2 off Stepaneks serve when Tsonga hit a backhand crosscourt winner. Stepanek and Berdych left the court with the French up 5-4, for a medical timeout. They were greeted with jeers and whistles when they returned after a nearly 10-minute break. Tsonga looked unfazed and held his serve, wrapping up the set with an ace to level the set score. Berdych dropped his focus as he served two consecutive double faults in the error-riddled next game to hand the French a break. The tall Czech was again at fault when he missed a backhand volley on Stepaneks serve, with their opponents moving up 3-0. The twists and turns continued as the Czechs recovered, despite more treatment for Stepanek, who was in obvious pain. They won three straight games to lead 5-4, then failed to hold on to a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak. Gasquet fired a dazzling pass down the line to seal the set, raising his arms in triumph to the delight of the legion of French fans. Stepanek could hardly move in the fourth set, and the French wrapped it up decisively. Jack Flaherty . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Custom Cardinals Jersey China . At this rate, the Flyers captain is set to be remembered more for a fantastic finish. http://www.custommlbcardinalsjersey.com/custom-bruce-sutter-jersey-large-251q.html . As their best player continued to orchestrate his dramatic exit from the club, the Whitecaps added size and creativity at Thursdays Major League Soccer SuperDraft.MONTREAL -- After leaving the presidents office vacant for 18 months, the Montreal Alouettes opted to hire from within. The Canadian Football League club announced Tuesday that Mark Weightman, the former Chief Operating Officer, will be the new president and CEO. Weightman, 41, had been filling the presidents duties anyway since Ray Lalonde stepped down in May 2012 after only 14 months on the job. "We asked Mark to lead our franchise," said Andrew Wetenhall, the son of owner Bob Wetenhall who was unable to attend the announcement due to a flu. "Hes proven himself time and again." Weightman has been with the franchise since 1995 when he worked for the defunct Baltimore Stallions. The native of St. Andre dArgenteuil, Que., moved with them to Montreal the following year and stayed on when Wetenhall bought the team from Jim Spiros in 1997. His first priority will be to fill Percival Molson Stadium, which has had empty seats since it was expanded from 20,202 seats to 25,012 in 2010. The Alouettes used to sell out the smaller stadium every game, but have generally drawn about 23,000 since the expansion. "Its a pretty high priority," said Wetenhall, a New York investment banker who is a CFL governor. "Its a marker of our commercial success and our on-field and community success to secure that support. "At the same time, were not in an at-all-costs type of mentality. We need to correctly approach the marketplace and put a winning team on the field to enable people to say Ive got to go to that event." The Alouettes went 8-10 this season and lost the East Division semifinal to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. They have not won a playoff game since winning back to back Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010. The empty seats suggest the Alouettes popularity is waning, but Weightman said the future looks bright. The season ticket base has remained at about 17,000, but they hope to increase sales through partial season tickets, family packs and other offers. "Were still going through a transition where we have a bigger stadium and people think were not doing as well because the stadiums not full," said Weightman. "We had 23,000 where we had 20,000 for 10 years. "If you look at TV ratings and how much were followed on social media, youll see our fan base is as strong and healthy as ever. But we need to do a better job of reaching out to all our fans." He also hopes to boost the teams community involvement and its support for minnor football in Quebec, which are priorities for the Wetenhall family. Tony Cingrani. "In reality, we didnt have a president, so I cant say my role will change a lot, other than that Ill have to get some new business cards," added Weighman. "The important thing is the transition weve done over the last year or so. "Weve refocused on the things weve done well over the last 15 years -- winning on the field, the great experience in the stadium, and being involved in the community. Now we have to bring that to the next level." A large media contingent turned out to the news conference expecting an announcement on whether general manager Jim Popp will remain as head coach after taking over from the fired Dan Hawkins five games into the season, or on whether 41-year-old quarterback Anthony Calvillo will retire. Instead, it was a day for the men in suits. Weightman said there is no timeline for a decision on the coach, although they would prefer to make one soon so that preparations can start for the 2014 season. The future of veterans like Calvillo, who suffered a season-ending concussion in August, all-star guard Scott Flory or defensive end Anwar Stewart are not expected to be decided until after the CFL expansion draft on Dec. 16. Flory lauded Weightmans appointment. "Theres a lot of stuff going on around the league," said Flory. "Its not just our team. "The thing is, to have leadership from the top, you have to have the right people in place. The Alouettes have got it right so many times over the years. Ive been here 15 years and played in eight Grey Cups, so were doing something right." The experiment with Hawkins, who joined the team without any pro coaching experience, was a setback. Another may have been Lalondes one-season tenure as president and CEO. He left citing personal reasons, but there were reports the former Montreal Canadiens marketing guru was feuding with Popp and former coach Marc Trestman. Lalonde had replaced popular former Alouettes player Larry Smith, who left after the stadium expansion was completed in 2010 to try his hand at politics. Andrew Wetenhall said his familys commitment to the Alouettes and the CFL is as strong as ever. "I certainly am," he said. "We make decisions like this one in a family format. Were very committed to this league and its success. Weve invested 20 years almost in Montreal and were hopeful there will be another 20 or 50 to come." ' ' '