France captain Yannick Noah said his team could go on to lift the Davis Cup after wrapping up a 4-1 first-round victory over Japan on Sunday. Entering the final day's reverse singles in Tokyo with an unassailable 3-0 lead, the nine-time champions chose to rest Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon and split the two dead rubbers.
Doubles specialist Nicolas Mahut replaced Gasquet and took the first set off Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1 before a wrist injury ended the Japanese player's hopes of a comeback.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert, the other half of the world's top-ranked doubles pair who clinched France's third point on Saturday, took Simon's place in the abbreviated singles.
However, he was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Yasutaka Uchiyama as Japan avoided a whitewash in the absence of world number five Kei Nishikori, who dropped out the World Group clash citing a busy schedule.
"If all my players are ready then we have the possibility to go all the way," said Noah, a Davis Cup runner-up in 1982.
"That's what we should aim for - the win the whole thing," added the former French Open champion. "But to do that we have to be at 100 percent in the next three ties."
Noah could have a selection headache for the quarter-finals in April, where France will face either Great Britain or Canada.
With their two highest-ranked singles players, Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, also available, Noah could be tempted to tinker with his line-up as France look to capture the Davis Cup for a first time since 2001.
"I would take them right away, but I would only pick them for the right reasons," said Noah, pointing to the camaraderie in a French team who spent three weeks preparing for the Japan tie.
"In the next two months some players will play five, six or seven tournaments and a lot can happen - guys who show up, guys who play well, others who get hurt. We have to wait and see."
France faced little resistance against Japan, who will now face a battle to retain their World Group status.
Gasquet thrashed Taro Daniel 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 and Simon beat Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday before Wimbledon champions Herbert and Mahut overpowered Uchiyama and Yuichi Sugita 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Saturday's doubles.
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