Italy reaches Davis Cup final after defeating Belgium in Bologna semi
Belgium's Zizou Bergs cut a dejected figure after his loss to Flavio Cobolli. (AP Photo: Luca Bruno)
In short:
Italy's Flavio Cobolli helped comfort Belgian opponent Zizou Bergs following their Davis Cup rubber.
Cobolli beat Bergs, 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (17/15), to send Italy through to the final.
What's next?
Italy will play either Germany or Spain in the final.
Italy's Flavio Cobolli has shown class in consoling his Belgian opponent Zizou Bergs following a dramatic Davis Cup semifinal.
Cobolli beat Bergs, 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (17/15), after saving seven match points in Bologna, the result sending two-time defending champion Italy through to the final.
After clinching victory, Cobolli ripped off his shirt and celebrated with his teammates.
He eventually went to comfort Bergs, who was consoled by his team as he cried on his chair.
Cobolli gave Italy an unassailable 2-0 lead without needing the doubles rubber to be contested.
Italy is riding a 13-tie winning streak and meets the winner of the second semifinal between Germany and Spain, who is without injured world number one Carlos Alcaraz.
Flavio Cobolli celebrates his win in the first Davis Cup semifinal. (Getty Images/Image Photo Agency)
Earlier, Matteo Berrettini beat Raphaël Collignon, 6-3, 6-4, to help Italy on its way.
Neither Belgian player has won a singles title on the ATP Tour.
But Bergs, ranked 43 in the world, played as if it was the biggest match of his life against number 22 Cobolli.
From 3-3 in the second set tiebreaker Bergs found his range and levelled the match with a forehand to the back of the court, which Cobolli returned long.
The players then swapped and missed match-point chances, with Cobolli eventually triumphing with a service winner that Bergs could only just get his racquet on.
It was a more comfortable match for the 56th-ranked Berrettini, a 2021 Wimbledon runner-up with 10 singles titles on the tour.
He clinched the first set on serve against number 86 Collignon.
Collignon dropped his opening serve of the second set, but broke back for 2-2.
Berrettini, who was ranked as high as six in the world in 2022, withstood his opponent's aggressive shot-making to break for 4-3 and won on his first match point with a love hold.
AP