Italy is one win away from three-peating as Davis Cup champions, as the host nation swept Belgium 2-0 Friday to get back to the finals in Bologna, Italy.
The semifinal fixture was not without drama, as Flavio Cobolli saved a whopping seven match points against Zizou Bergs to win the clinching match 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (15).
The day began with Matteo Berrettini easing past Belgian opponent Raphael Collignon 6-3, 6-4. Berrettini managed five aces without a double fault and won 31 of his 40 first-serve points (77.5%).
Then came Cobolli’s wild match, with Bergs going all-out for Belgium to try to push the showdown to doubles. Cobolli controlled the first set, and neither player broke serve during the second before Bergs escaped a 4-3 deficit to win the tiebreaker.
Bergs saved six match points of his own in the third set, the first two coming in the 10th game to keep the match alive and eventually force the tiebreaker. The Belgian had a 6-4 lead dissipate and eked ahead no fewer than five more times, but Cobolli staved off every match point and notched four of the final five points before ripping off his shirt in celebration.
Italy will face either Spain or Germany in the final Sunday. Those countries play on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
