Defending champion Italy is aiming for its third Davis Cup triumph in a row even without its top stars.
In Bologna, the hosts, who have to do without Wimbledon winner Jannik Sinner and top 10 player Lorenzo Musetti, beat Belgium 2-0 and reached the final of the traditional tennis team competition. The German team around top player Alexander Zverev or Spain is waiting there on Sunday (3:00 p.m.).
Belgium, on the other hand, has to wait for its fourth final appearance and its first Davis Cup title. Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini took the Italian lead with a 6:3, 6:4 win against Raphael Collignon in front of an atmospheric backdrop in the “SuperTennis Arena” in exhibition hall 37 of the BolognaFiere.
Flavio Cobolli then decided the duel with a hard-fought 6:3, 6:7 (5:7), 7:6 (17:15) against Zizou Bergs. The top doubles Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori no longer had to play.
The discussions about the absence of Sinner, second in the world rankings, have therefore fallen silent. The South Tyrolean, who was a guarantee of success in the Davis Cup triumphs in the previous two years, had said goodbye to his well-deserved vacation early after his second title at the ATP Finals – which caused discontent in Italy.