Italy to the Davis Cup Final: Seeks the Triple with Cobolli and Berrettini

Italy returns to the Davis Cup final after epic battle

Italy, the defending two-time champion, secured its place in the Davis Cup final thanks to the outstanding performance of Flavio Cobolli. Cobolli defeated Zizou Bergs of Belgium with scores of 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (15) in a semifinal match full of drama. Cobolli managed to overcome after saving seven match points. After squandering six opportunities to close out the match, Cobolli finally secured the victory for Italy. The tennis player celebrated effusively with his teammates and then consoled Bergs, who was consoled by his team. 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, and in the end, I achieved my dream. I played for my whole team, my family, and it’s one of the best days of my life.

Flavio Cobolli

Cobolli’s victory gave Italy an insurmountable 2-0 lead, without the need to play the doubles match. Previously, Matteo Berrettini contributed to the Italian triumph by defeating 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 Bergs and Cobolli was intense, with the Belgian showing a great level of play. Cobolli, for his part, had the support of the public in Bologna. In the tiebreak of the second set, Bergs managed to equalize the score with a powerful forehand. The players exchanged match point opportunities, until Cobolli finally secured the victory with a winning serve. Cobolli celebrated the victory with the team captain, Filippo Volandri, who remained calm during the exciting tiebreaker.

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

Filippo Volandri

Berrettini’s match was calmer, the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, with 10 individual titles in his career, secured the first set. Collignon lost his serve at the beginning of the second set, but managed to recover to tie 2-2. Berrettini, finally, managed to break serve and won on his first match point. This edition of the Davis Cup Finals 8 is the sixth since the new format was implemented, where the champion is defined at a neutral venue.