In the first semi-final of the Davis Cup, host country Italy will play against Belgium in Bologna on Friday afternoon. Italy is expected to be led by Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini, while Belgium will counter with Zizou Bergs and Raphael Collignon.
Flavio Cobolli (ITA) vs. Zizou Bergs (BEL)
Cobolli and Bergs will face off for the third time in their careers and for the second time in the Davis Cup when they face each other in the Italy-Belgium semi-finals in Bologna on Friday. Last season they split a few meetings; Cobolli won 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 at the US Open before Bergs won 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-0 in Davis Cup qualifying – also in Bologna – just a few weeks later. Cobolli may have home advantage, but fourteen months ago it made little difference to him. A bigger factor could be the indoor hard court. Bergs has already won 95 games on this ground in his career, while Cobolli has had a terrible life of 18-31.
Choice: Bergs in 3
Matteo Berrettini (ITA) vs. Raphael Collignon (BEL)
Before Cobolli’s 6-1, 6-3 win over Austrian Filip Misolic on Wednesday, Berrettini secured the first point with a 6-3, 7-6(4) defeat to Jurij Rodionov. Including Berrettini in the lineup is a wise decision by captain Filippo Volandri, as the 29-year-old’s quick serve and forehand make him a dangerous indoor hard-court player. Collignon is currently enjoying his breakthrough season on tour, so this really is a toss-up match – that is if it were played anywhere other than Italy. Given these circumstances and the home crowd, a small lead goes to Berrettini.
Choice: Berrettini in 3
#Preview #picks #prediction #Davis #Cup #final #Italy #Belgium