BOLOGNA, 20 November (H.S.): Defending champions Italy stormed into the Davis Cup 2025 semifinals on Wednesday, securing a decisive victory over Austria after winning both singles matches in a tense quarterfinal clash in Bologna. The Italian team will now face Belgium for a coveted spot in the final.
Despite the absence of top-10 stars Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Berrettini and Flavio Cobolli delivered stellar performances in straight sets, electrifying the home crowd and keeping their nation's title defense campaign firmly on track.
Former Wimbledon finalist Berrettini set the tone with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win against Jurij Rodionov. He mounted a remarkable comeback after trailing 2-5 in the second set and enduring a half-hour delay due to a lighting issue in the arena.
The 29-year-old reeled off three consecutive games, saved three set points, and ultimately dominated the tie-break to give Italy a crucial lead.I feel immense pride in the players' performance, said team captain Filippo Volandri. Matteo is a player who finds solutions in difficult situations and is built for matches like these.
Flavio Cobolli then sealed the tie in the second singles rubber, dispatching Austria’s top-ranked player, Filip Misolic, in a commanding 6-1, 6-3 victory. The world number 22, who has had a breakout year winning his first titles in Hamburg and Bucharest, secured the win in just over an hour.This is the most special day of my life, an emotional Cobolli said post-match.
It was my dream to play wearing the Italian jersey.With Italy's unassailable 2-0 lead, the scheduled doubles match between Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori and Alexander Erler/Lucas Miedler was not played.The semifinal lineup will be finalized on Thursday, as Argentina takes on Germany and Spain faces the Czech Republic. The Spanish team will notably be without world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who withdrew from the tournament with a hamstring injury.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
