Nicolas Escude clinched the Davis Cup tennis final for France with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-3 win over Australian Wayne Arthurs in the fifth rubber today.
It was France's ninth Davis Cup and the first since they beat Sweden in 1996 to take the title.
Arthurs was a late replacement for dual US Open champion Pat Rafter, whose arm tendinitis injury flared again after playing in Australia's losing doubles team on Saturday.
Rafter said he did not want to risk playing in the all-or-nothing singles decider.
Arthurs was his team's third-choice singles player but can be dangerous with his left-arm serving on grass surfaces. He slugged it out all the way with Escude in the three hour 34 minute match.
Escude, ranked 27 in the world, gave France an unexpected point with his come-from-behind five-set victory over world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt on Friday.
Hewitt kept Australia alive in the Cup final when he beat Sebastien Grosjean 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth rubber to level the tie at 2-2.
Hewitt has now beaten world No.6 Grosjean three times in the last three weeks following his two defeats on the way to winning the Masters Cup in Sydney last month. Overall he stands at 6-2 against Grosjean.
France's win avenged their Cup final loss to Australia two years ago in Nice when Mark Philippoussis led the Australians to victory.