Italy Wins Historic Third Consecutive Davis Cup Title
The Italian player clinched the sixth-longest tie-break in Davis Cup history to beat his Belgian opponent during the semi-finals
Flavio Cobolli alongside Matteo Berrettini propelled the Italian squad to team tennis success as the hosts beat Spain to capture a record-breaking third successive championship in front of an overjoyed home crowd
Two days after he narrowly won a marathon 32-point decider, the Italian talent returned to starred as he battled back from a set and a break down to defeat Jaume Munar in a grueling match
The 23-year-old's tenacious comeback victory triumph sealed a straight sets triumph for his country in the Italian city after his teammate had prevailed 6-3 6-4 against the Spanish player
It is a fourth overall Davis Cup victory overall for Italy, who are the first nation to achieve three consecutive championships since defending champions no longer received direct entry to the final over five decades back
Local Supporters Inspires Team Italy Triumph
Supported enthusiastically by the overwhelming number of a packed 10,000-strong crowd, Cobolli overcame a poor beginning to trigger scenes of celebration among the Italian athletes, coaches and supporters
Cobolli was surrounded by his teammates on court but took a brief time to praise his opponent on his performance before returning to the celebrations
Key Players Deliver in Missing Stars
Each Italy and the Spanish team reached the final despite missing key players, with the absence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner denying spectators a seventh meeting of the season between the world's dominant men's players
But, with Italian second-ranked another key player too absent, Cobolli and Berrettini owned their moments in the spotlight with three wins from three singles matches apiece during the tournament
Dramatic Comeback Secures Win
The crowd shouted Cobolli's moniker as he kept his composure to close out his recovery victory to zero, having achieved the decisive break in the penultimate game of a tense final set
That was no mean feat, given he had stated he had achieved a "dream" in guiding his nation to Sunday's final on domestic ground
In opposition to the events of the previous match, when Cobolli tore off his shirt in celebration on "among the greatest" moments of his career, the ranked player paid the price for a poor beginning as he conceded a dominant first set
But the determined player initiated a essential, swift response after falling a behind at the beginning of the second
The Italian's luck seemed to shift after a nine-minute stop in play when a spectator of the audience became unwell
When play continued, and with Munar facing break point, the Italian floated over a shot that caught a lucky net tape and put the set back on level terms
Although annoyingly denied multiple opportunities on his rival's service game, the champion wrested command of a decisive tie-break to push the final set - where he yet again performed
Berrettini Extends Remarkable Run
Berrettini had previously extended his team competition singles winning streak to 11 matches with an excellent performance against the Spanish opponent
The Grand Slam finalist used his decisive opportunity for a 5-3 lead before confidently serving out the opener to zero
Having taken the majority of points to take the first set, Berrettini appeared ready to tighten his grip on the match upon creating opportunities in the initial game of the second
Carreno Busta managed to save both before putting together a sequence of solid service games - but Berrettini seized his next opportunity and served out to love to complete his triumph