The Italian team Clinches Record Third Straight Davis Cup Title
Flavio Cobolli secured the sixth-longest deciding set in team tennis history to beat his Belgian opponent during the semi-finals
Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini propelled the Italian squad to team tennis glory as the hosts defeated Spain to capture a record-breaking third consecutive championship in front of an overjoyed local supporters
Two days after he edged an epic 32-point tie-break, the Italian talent once again excelled as he recovered from a set and a break down to overcome Jaume Munar in a grueling match
The 23-year-old's determined comeback victory triumph sealed a 2-0 win for his nation in the Italian city after his teammate had won in straight sets against Pablo Carreno Busta
It is a fourth overall team championship title in total for the Italian team, who are the initial country to win three consecutive championships since title holders no longer received automatic qualification to the final over five decades back
Local Supporters Fuels Italian Victory
Backed passionately by the overwhelming number of a packed capacity crowd, Cobolli conquered a poor beginning to spark scenes of jubilation among the team athletes, staff and fans
The champion was mobbed by his team-mates on the playing surface but took a moment to commend his opponent on his performance before rejoining the festivities
Key Players Step Up in Absence
Both the Italian squad and Spain made the championship match even with being without key players, with the non-participation of top-ranked players preventing spectators a seventh matchup of 2025 between the top-ranked tennis stars
But, with Italian second-ranked another key player also missing, Cobolli and Berrettini owned their opportunities in the spotlight with three wins from all their matches each during the tournament
Thrilling Recovery Secures Win
The audience chanted Cobolli's name as he kept his composure to serve out his recovery victory to zero, having forced the decisive break in the 11th game of a nail-biting deciding set
That was quite an accomplishment, given he had admitted he had achieved a "goal" in delivering his nation to Sunday's final on home soil
In opposition to the events of Friday night, when Cobolli removed his shirt in celebration on "one of the best" days of his career, the world number 22 faced the consequence for a poor beginning as he lost a one-sided opening set
But Cobolli launched a essential, swift comeback after falling a behind at the beginning of the following set
Cobolli's fortunes appeared to shift after a brief pause in play when a spectator of the crowd became unwell
When play continued, and with Munar facing break point, the player floated over a volley that caught a fortunate net cord and put the game to deuce
Although annoyingly denied four set points on his opponent's serve, Cobolli wrested control of a must-win tie-break to push the final set - where he yet again performed
Berrettini Continues Impressive Winning Streak
The Italian star had previously extended his team competition singles victory run to eleven consecutive wins with an excellent performance against the Spanish opponent
The former Wimbledon runner-up used his decisive opportunity for a 5-3 lead before confidently serving out the first set to zero
Having taken 11 of the last 13 points to secure the first set, the player looked set to strengthen his grip on the match upon forcing opportunities in the opening game of the following set
His opponent succeeded to save both before putting together a series of solid serving performances - but Berrettini took his next opportunity and closed to love to complete his triumph