Bologna, Nov 22 (UNI) Italy are into the Davis Cup Final for the third consecutive year after Flavio Cobolli saved seven match points and won the most extraordinary 32-point final set tie-break to beat Zizou Bergs and seal a 2-0 victory for his country over Belgium.
Cobolli’s pulsating 6-3 6-7(5) 7-6(15) win over Bergs in Bologna lasted more than three hours after Matteo Berrettini had earlier set Italy on their way by defeating Raphael Collignon 6-3 6-4.
There were exuberant scenes and celebrations inside the SuperTennis Arena as Cobolli eventually clinched the winning point on his eighth attempt. Cobolli ripped his shirt off having just won the sixth longest tie-break in Davis Cup history.
“I asked the team, What’s the score in the tiebreak, because I didn’t know, I didn’t remember”, Cobolli said afterwards.
“I won this match because I believed in myself for three hours today. I think I had a great attitude for all the match. Now I’m a little bit tired, but I’m ready to recover for the final.”
His captain, Filippo Volandri, who was put through the wringer on the sidelines, summed up the experience.
“I think this match you only have in Davis Cup”, he said. “We saw two great players fight for their country. They both did an unbelievable job. Only one had to win. In the end we did it.”
“I told Flavio that he wanted more than the opponent. I don’t know if was true or not. In the end this is something unbelievable. I’m really proud about Flavio, proud of course of Matteo, but all the team. The crowd made the difference in the end. We had like 10,500 pushing us through the limit because I think we passed the limit.”
Italy has tennis fever right now and Sunday’s showpiece, against either Spain or Germany, promises to be a special occasion.
Should they triumph, Italy will become the first country to win three straight Davis Cup titles since the abolition of the Challenge Round in 1971, while it will also be a chance to lift the trophy on home soil for the first time. Their other victories – in 1976, 2023 and 2024 – all came away from home.
