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Italy edge into Davis Cup final with epic tie-break
/ Photo: Tiziana FABI - AFP
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Italy edge into Davis Cup final with epic tie-break
Double defending champions Italy beat Belgium 2-0 on Friday in Bologna after Flavio Cobolli won a 32-point tiebreak to set up a Davis Cup final with either Spain or Germany.
Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini overcame Raphael Collignon 6-3, 6-4 to give Italy the lead. Then team leader Cobolli beat Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (17/15).
"It's really tough to say something about this match," Cobolli said. "I played for all of my team, my family, and it's one of the best days of my life."
The match took just over three hours in a noisy stadium in Bologna where the 23-year-old Cobolli only broke serve once, in the first set
Neither player conceded a break point in the second set, which Bergs clinched in a tie-break.
Growing increasingly aggressive, the Belgian earned three break points early in the third set and a fourth at 4-4.
But Cobolli responded each time with a supersonic first serves to clear the danger, then earned two match points in the following game.
The Belgian right-hander saved himself with two aces but then failed to convert his fifth break point at 5-5, forcing another tiebreak.
In the nail-biting 32-point tiebreak Cobolli saved seven match points before winning with a final ace.
"In the five years I've been captain, I've never seen anything like it," said captain Filippo Volandri. "This match was incredible; in the end, it was 5 per cent tactics and 95 per cent heart."
It was Italy's a 13th consecutive succesful tiebreak in the Davis Cup, a competition in which it is undefeated since September 2023.
Italy are playing without Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti.
Spain and Germany will face off in the second semi-final on Saturday.
On Thursday, the Spanish came back from one match down to beat the Czech Republic 2-1, while Germany -- and world number three Alexander Zverev -- saw off Argentina by the same scoreline.
U.Neumann--BlnAP
