Viktor Troicki brushed aside Michael Llodra in straight sets in the deciding singles rubber as Serbia won the Davis Cup final for the first time with a 3-2 win over nine-time champions France on Sunday.
The 24-year-old was in appealing form as he won 6-2 6-2 6-3 in just two hours 13 minutes as the hosts claimed the most popular team award in tennis to spark scenes of wild celebration on and off the court at the Belgrade Arena.
Earlier, Novak Djokovic won his sixth singles tie from six matches in the Davis Cup this season as he beat France's Gael Monfils to level the tie at 2-2.
Troicki was drafted into the deciding singles in place of Janko Tipsarevic and it proved an enthused choice by Bogan Obradovic.
By contrast, French captain Guy Forget saw his gamble of picking Llodra ahead of Gilles Simon backfire as the left-hander could not cope with the violent play of Troicki, who hit a stream of winners and broke him eight times.
The 24-year-old was in appealing form as he won 6-2 6-2 6-3 in just two hours 13 minutes as the hosts claimed the most popular team award in tennis to spark scenes of wild celebration on and off the court at the Belgrade Arena.
Earlier, Novak Djokovic won his sixth singles tie from six matches in the Davis Cup this season as he beat France's Gael Monfils to level the tie at 2-2.
Troicki was drafted into the deciding singles in place of Janko Tipsarevic and it proved an enthused choice by Bogan Obradovic.
By contrast, French captain Guy Forget saw his gamble of picking Llodra ahead of Gilles Simon backfire as the left-hander could not cope with the violent play of Troicki, who hit a stream of winners and broke him eight times.