The Italian team Clinches Historic Three-Peat Davis Cup Title
Flavio Cobolli clinched the sixth-longest deciding set in Davis Cup records to beat Belgium's Zizou Bergs during the semi-finals
Flavio Cobolli alongside Matteo Berrettini guided the Italian squad to team tennis success as the hosts beat the Spanish team to capture a record-breaking third consecutive title in front of an overjoyed local supporters
Two days after he edged a marathon lengthy tie-break, the Italian talent returned to starred as he recovered from behind in sets to overcome his Spanish opponent in three sets
The 23-year-old's determined 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 win sealed a 2-0 victory for his nation in the Italian city after Berrettini had prevailed in straight sets against Pablo Carreno Busta
It is a fourth Davis Cup victory overall for the Italian team, who are the initial country to win three straight titles since defending champions stopped receiving direct entry to the final over five decades back
Home Crowd Inspires Italian Victory
Backed enthusiastically by the overwhelming number of a packed capacity audience, Cobolli overcame a slow start to spark moments of jubilation among the team athletes, staff and supporters
The champion was mobbed by his teammates on court but paused for a brief time to commend his opponent on his efforts before returning to the festivities
Star Performers Deliver in Missing Stars
Both Italy and the Spanish team reached the championship match even with missing key players, with the non-participation of top-ranked players preventing fans a seventh matchup of the season between the world's dominant tennis stars
But, with national number two Lorenzo Musetti also absent, Cobolli and Berrettini owned their opportunities in the limelight with perfect records from three singles matches apiece this week
Dramatic Recovery Secures Win
The crowd chanted Cobolli's moniker as he kept his composure to close out his comeback victory to zero, having forced the breakthrough in the 11th game of a tense deciding set
That was no mean feat, given he had admitted he had realized a "dream" in delivering his nation to Sunday's final on home soil
In opposition to the scenes of Friday night, when Cobolli tore off his shirt in celebration on "one of the best" moments of his career, the world number 22 paid the price for a slow start as he conceded a one-sided opening set
But the determined player initiated a essential, immediate response after falling a break down at the beginning of the second
Cobolli's luck appeared to change after a nine-minute stop in play when a member of the audience became unwell
When the match resumed, and with his opponent facing a critical moment, the player floated over a volley that caught a fortunate net cord and brought the set back on level terms
Although frustratingly denied four set points on his opponent's service game, the champion wrested command of a decisive breaker to force the decider - where he yet again performed
Berrettini Continues Impressive Run
The Italian star had previously extended his Davis Cup individual winning streak to 11 matches with an superb performance against Carreno Busta
The former Wimbledon runner-up used his third break point for a advantage before assuredly closing the opener to love
Having taken the majority of points to take the first set, the player appeared ready to strengthen his hold on the contest upon creating two break points in the initial game of the following set
Carreno Busta succeeded to survive each before producing a series of strong service games - but Berrettini took his following chance and served out to zero to complete his victory