Davis Cup: Roger Federer leads Switzerland to final against France

Federer won both his singles matches against Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini

World number three Roger Federer helped Switzerland reach their first Davis Cup final in 22 years following a win over Italy in Geneva.

Switzerland led 2-1 going into Sunday's final two matches and Federer beat Fabio Fognini 6-2 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to give his country an unassailable 3-1 lead.

The victory celebrations then included Federer, 33, being carried on his team-mates' shoulders on a lap of honour.

In the final, Switzerland will meet France, who beat the Czech Republic.

Federer and Stan Wawrinka had won their singles matches on Friday, before Italy won Saturday's doubles encounter.

But Federer's win over Italian number one Fognini was decisive. He won the first two sets with relative ease and clinched the third with a tie-break to signal the partisan home crowd erupting with delight.

Andreas Seppi beat Michael Lammer 6-4 1-6 6-4 in the final dead rubber, meaning the Swiss won the tie 3-2.

The Swiss team must triumph on French soil if they are to win their first Davis Cup

"It's nice sharing the emotions with your fans and team members," said Federer.

"It was a pretty quick court, so if you're not serving so well there are always going to be errors - it wasn't the best performance for either of us.

"Some of the best match-ups I've had have been against France, but we're very pleased to be in the final."

Switzerland have never won the Davis Cup, but were losing finalists in 1992, while France are nine-time winners (most recently in 2001) and seven-time runners-up (most recently in 2010).

In the other semi-final, France led 3-0 after the doubles at Roland Garros before the Czechs pulled a point back when Jiri Vesely beat Julien Benneteau 6-4 6-3 in the first match of the reverse singles, which were contested over three sets.

However, Gael Monfils defeated Lukas Rosol 5-7 6-4 7-5 to ensure the French ran out 4-1 winners.

The final takes place in France from 21-23 November.