Italy Secures Record Third Straight Davis Cup Title
The Italian player clinched one of the longest deciding set in Davis Cup history to beat his Belgian opponent during the semi-finals
Flavio Cobolli and his compatriot propelled the Italian squad to team tennis success as the hosts defeated the Spanish team to claim a historic third successive title in front of an ecstatic home crowd
48 hours following he edged an epic 32-point tie-break, the Italian talent once again shone as he fought back from a set and a break down to defeat Jaume Munar in a grueling match
The young player's determined 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 success clinched a straight sets victory for his country in Bologna after his teammate had won 6-3 6-4 against the Spanish player
It is a fourth Davis Cup victory overall for the Italian team, who are the first nation to achieve three straight titles since defending champions no longer received automatic qualification to the championship match 53 years ago
Local Supporters Inspires Team Italy Victory
Supported passionately by the overwhelming number of a packed 10,000-strong crowd, the Italian star conquered a slow start to spark scenes of celebration among the Italian players, coaches and supporters
The champion was mobbed by his team-mates on the playing surface but paused for a brief time to commend his opponent on his efforts before returning to the celebrations
Key Players Step Up in Absence
Each the Italian squad and the Spanish team made the final even with missing star athletes, with the absence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner preventing fans a seventh matchup of the season between the world's dominant men's players
But, with Italian second-ranked Lorenzo Musetti too absent, the Italian duo owned their moments in the limelight with three wins from all their matches each this week
Dramatic Comeback Secures Victory
The crowd chanted the player's name as he kept his calm to close out his comeback triumph to zero, having forced the breakthrough in the 11th game of a tense final set
That was quite an accomplishment, given he had admitted he had achieved a "dream" in guiding Italy to Sunday's showpiece on domestic ground
In opposition to the events of Friday night, when Cobolli removed his jersey in celebration on "one of the best" days of his career, the world number 22 faced the consequence for a poor beginning as he conceded a dominant opening set
But the determined player launched a necessary, swift comeback after going a break down at the beginning of the following set
Cobolli's luck appeared to shift after a brief stop in the match when a member of the audience became unwell
When play continued, and with his opponent facing break point, the Italian lobbed over a volley that hit a fortunate net tape and put the game to deuce
Although frustratingly prevented multiple opportunities on his rival's serve, Cobolli wrested command of a must-win breaker to push the decider - where he once again performed
The Veteran Continues Remarkable Run
The Italian star had previously extended his Davis Cup individual victory run to eleven consecutive wins with an superb display against the Spanish opponent
The former Wimbledon runner-up converted his third break point for a 5-3 lead before confidently serving out the first set to love
Having won 11 of the last 13 points to secure the first set, Berrettini appeared ready to strengthen his grip on the contest upon forcing two break points in the initial game of the second
His opponent managed to save both before producing a series of solid serving performances - but the Italian seized his following chance and closed to zero to finish his victory