Bergs Leads Belgium to Davis Cup Semifinals against France

Belgium advances to Davis Cup semi-finals after defeating France

In a day full of emotions in Bologna, Italy, Zizou Bergs secured Belgium’s place in the Davis Cup semifinals. Bergs defeated Arthur Rinderknech with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (4), establishing an insurmountable 2-0 lead over France, a team that has dominated the competition on ten occasions. Belgium, which had suffered defeats in its last four encounters against France, including the 2017 final, is now preparing to face Italy or Austria next Friday. The remaining quarter-finals will take place on Thursday, with Germany (No. 2) facing Argentina, and Spain against the Czech Republic (No. 4). Bergs demonstrated absolute control during the match, sealing his victory with an impressive forehand down the line. Previously, Raphael Collignon had given Belgium the initial advantage by defeating Corentin Moutet with a score of 2-6, 7-5, 7-5. The matches at this stage of the competition are decided by the best of three matches: two singles and one doubles. Both Belgium and France returned to this phase of the team tournament since its renovation in 2019. The Davis Cup Finals 8 in Bologna marks the sixth edition of the event where the champion is defined in a neutral venue. Moutet maintained a solid level of play until the twelfth game of the second set, at which point he committed two double faults and missed an easy point at the net after attempting a shot between his legs, conceding his serve and allowing Collignon to force a deciding set. A similar scenario was repeated in the third set, with Collignon achieving the decisive break in the final game.