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GENEVA. — France will host Switzerland in the Davis Cup tennis final in November but five-time champions Spain lost their World Group status on Sunday after an 18-year-stay in the elite division.Roger Federer reached the first Davis Cup final of his career with a comfortable 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win over Italy’s Fabio Fognini in the first of the semi-final’s reverse singles in Geneva.

That made it 3-1 for the Swiss thus ensuring they would contest the final of the annual team event for the first time since 1992, when they lost to the United States.

Andreas Seppi edged Michael Lammer 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in the remaining dead rubber to make the final score 3-2.

France made sure of playing in the final for the first time since 2010 on Saturday when their doubles team of Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Czechs Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek in four sets at Roland Garros.

The final will be played in France from November 21-23, with the northern city of Lille being touted as the likely host. —AFP.