Battling Cobolli sends holders Italy into Davis Cup final

Hosts Italy closed in on a 3rd successive Davis Cup title as Flavio Cobolli saved seven match factors to beat Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in a thriller and seal a 2-0 semi-final victory on Friday.

The 23-year-old Cobolli, roared on by frenzied dwelling assist contained in the SuperTennis Area, clawed his technique to a 6-3 6-7(5) 7-6(15) victory with the third-set tiebreak among the best ever seen within the competitors’s wealthy historical past.

Each gamers produced some spellbinding tennis in a sequence of punishing rallies within the 32-point breaker with the aggressive ball putting of Bergs wanting as if it might ship the tie to the deciding doubles.

However Cobolli, who additionally didn’t convert his first six match factors, wouldn’t be denied and ultimately fired down an unreturnable serve to spark wild celebrations within the stands.

“Within the 5 years I have been captain, I’ve by no means seen something prefer it,” stated Italy captain Filippo Volandri. “This match was unbelievable; ultimately, it was 5 per cent ways and 95 per cent coronary heart.”

Earlier, Matteo Berrettini powered previous Raphael Collignon 6-3 6-4 to place Italy in entrance. It was Berrettini’s eighth successive match win within the competitors after he gained all six he performed final yr, together with doubles, as Italy retained the title by beating the Netherlands within the ultimate.

Italy will attempt to full the three-peat in Sunday’s ultimate towards both Germany or Spain who face off on Saturday.

Ought to they prevail, they’d turn into the primary nation to win three successive titles because the Problem Spherical was abolished after the 1971 occasion.

Cobolli, who was a daily within the 2023 title-winning facet, is enjoying as Italy’s primary within the absence of world quantity two Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti and has risen to the problem in magnificent trend.

After thrashing Filip Misolic on Wednesday to seal Italy’s snug quarter-final win over Austria he was pushed a lot more durable by the Forty third-ranked Bergs who battled again from a sluggish begin to stretch Cobolli to the restrict.

“It is actually robust to say one thing about this match,” Cobolli stated. “I performed for all of my workforce, my household, and it is among the best days of my life.”

Italy, who’re on a 12-tie successful streak, are the primary nation to succeed in three successive Davis Cup finals since Australia in 2001, though Australia misplaced two of these.