Italy edge closer to Davis Cup three-peat

In the Davis Cup quarter-finals, Italy defeated Austria to become the first country to win three straight titles for the first time in 53 years.

Matteo Berrettini and Flavio Cobolli won straight-sets singles matches despite missing Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, the nation’s top two players.

After their upcoming opponents defeated France on the opening day of the Finals in Bologna, Italy will face Belgium in the semi-finals on Friday.

They will start the match with a 12-tie winning streak that will go back to the Davis Cup Finals’ group stages in 2023.

Despite the absence of several top players at this year’s event, the organizers of the Davis Cup announced this week that discussions will be held regarding the future format of the competition.

Italian top-10 players Sinner and Musetti are among those who chose to focus on recovery after winning the ATP Finals on Sunday. The second-ranked world no. 2 Sinner chose to take advantage of the sport’s brief six-week off-season.

Berrettini and Cobolli replaced them, shining brightly for their country.

Jurij Rodionov, who is now ranked 177th, defeated Italy 6-3 7-6 (7-4). Former Wimbledon runner-up Berrettini put Italy on a strong start.

The world no. 56 faced a difficult set-up when Berrettini was broken for the first time and fell 5-2 behind in the second set after taking the opening set with a single break of serve.

“When I play for my country, I just try to win the next game and work really hard for my team-mates, for everyone who is here, and for everyone who is watching from home,” Berrettini said.

The biggest privilege, in my opinion. It’s better if I win, but I always try to enjoy being outside. It’s truly unique.

Filip Misolic, the Austrian number one, defeated world number 22 Cobolli 6-1, 6-3, to claim the victory for his country.

Cobolli, 23, won the first set for only 30 minutes with three break-of-service, which impressed with a rematch of his previous year’s Wimbledon quarter-final performance.

He quickly regained control of the match, securing a crucial break as he jumped out to a 3-0 lead before triumphing with assurance.

In his post-match interview, Cobolli echoed his team-mate’s sentiments, saying, “I felt the support of the bench, it was unbelievable.