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 strategy to a 6-3 6-7(5) 7-6(15) victory with the third-set tiebreak the most effective ever seen within the competitors’s wealthy historical past.

Each gamers produced some spellbinding tennis in a collection 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 did not convert his first six match factors, wouldn’t be denied and finally 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,” mentioned Italy captain Filippo Volandri. “This match was unimaginable; 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 last.

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

Ought to they prevail, they’d grow to be the primary nation to win three successive titles for the reason that Problem Spherical was abolished after the 1971 occasion.

Cobolli, who was an everyday within the 2023 title-winning aspect, 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 comfy quarter-final win over Austria he was pushed a lot more durable by the Forty third-ranked Bergs who battled again from a gradual begin to stretch Cobolli to the restrict.

“It is actually powerful to say one thing about this match,” Cobolli mentioned. “I performed for all of my group, my household, and it is the most effective 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.