The battle against Cobolli sends holders Italy to the Davis Cup final

Host nation Italy closed in on a third successive Davis Cup title as Flavio Cobolli saved seven match points to beat Belgian Zizou Bergs in a thriller and seal a 2-0 semi-final win on Friday.

The 23-year-old Cobolli, driven by a frenzied home support at the SuperTennis Arena, powered his way to a 6-3 6-7(5) 7-6(15) victory, with the third set tiebreak one of the best ever in the competition’s rich history.

Both players produced mesmerizing tennis in a series of punishing rallies in the 32-point breaker, with Bergs’ aggressive ball looking like it would send the tie into the deciding doubles match.

But Cobolli, who also failed to convert his first six match points, was not denied and eventually fired an unrecoverable serve, which led to wild celebrations in the stands.

“In the five years I have been captain, I have never seen anything like this,” said Italy captain Filippo Volandri. “This match was incredible; in the end it was 5 percent tactics and 95 percent heart.”

Earlier, Matteo Berrettini powered past Raphael Collignon 6-3 6-4 to put Italy ahead. It was Berrettini’s eighth straight victory in the competition, having won all six he played last year, including the doubles, as Italy retained the title by beating the Netherlands in the final.

Italy will look to complete the three-peat in Sunday’s final against Germany or Spain, who face each other on Saturday.

If they win, they would become the first country to win three consecutive titles since the Challenge Round was abolished after the 1971 event.

Cobolli, who was a regular in the 2023 title-winning side, playing as Italy’s number one in the absence of world number twos Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, has risen to the challenge magnificently.

After beating Filip Misolic on Wednesday to seal Italy’s comfortable victory over Austria in the quarter-final, he was pushed much harder by 43rd seed Bergs, who fought back after a slow start to push Cobolli to the limit.

“It’s really hard to say anything about this match,” Cobolli said. “I played in front of my whole team and my family, and it’s one of the best days of my life.”

Italy, who are on a 12-match winning streak, have become the first country to reach three consecutive Davis Cup finals since Australia in 2001, although Australia lost two.