Italy in the Davis Cup final: Cobolli the hero and seeks the three-peat

Italy returns to the Davis Cup final after Cobolli’s epic victory

Italy, the defending champion, has secured its place in the Davis Cup final once again. Flavio Cobolli starred in a memorable match against Zizou Bergs of Belgium, sealing the victory with a score of 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (15) in a semi-final full of drama. Cobolli, after squandering six match points, finally achieved the feat for Italy. The celebration included a moment of euphoria and then a gesture of consolation towards Bergs, who was visibly affected. The tiebreaker of the final set, with a score of 17-15, became the sixth longest in Davis Cup history.

“We fought for our country, for this victory, but in the end, I realized my dream,” declared Cobolli. “I played for my whole team, my family, and it’s one of the best days of my life.”

Flavio Cobolli

Cobolli’s victory secured the Italian triumph without the need for the doubles match. Previously, Matteo Berrettini had contributed with a victory over Raphael Collignon with a score of 6-3, 6-4.

Italy reaches the final with a streak of 13 consecutive victories and will face the winner of the semi-final between Germany and Spain. The match between Cobolli and Bergs was a high-intensity duel. Bergs, despite not having won individual titles on the men’s circuit, demonstrated a high level. Cobolli, with the support of the public in Bologna, finally prevailed in a tiebreak full of emotions. After a trade of break point opportunities, Cobolli secured the victory with a winning serve. The captain of the Italian team, Filippo Volandri, expressed his amazement at the match.

“In my five years as captain, I had never seen anything like it. But this is what the Davis Cup does. It was incredible,” Volandri commented. “In the end, I told Cobolli that it’s 5% tactics and 95% heart.”

Filippo Volandri

In the other match, Berrettini, with 10 individual titles in his career, had a more controlled encounter. He sealed the first set and secured the second, winning on his first match point. This edition of the Davis Cup Finals 8 marks the sixth of this renewed event, where the champion is defined in a neutral venue.