The Italian team Wins Record Third Consecutive Davis Cup Title
Flavio Cobolli won the sixth-longest tie-break in Davis Cup records to defeat his Belgian opponent during the semi-finals
Flavio Cobolli and his compatriot guided Italy to Davis Cup glory as the hosts overcame Spain to capture a record-breaking third successive championship in front of an ecstatic local supporters
Two days after he narrowly won a marathon 32-point decider, Cobolli once again starred as he battled back from behind in sets to defeat Jaume Munar in three sets
The 23-year-old's determined 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 triumph secured a 2-0 win for his country in Bologna after Berrettini had triumphed in straight sets against the Spanish player
It is a fourth team championship title overall for Italy, who are the first nation to win three consecutive titles since defending champions no longer received automatic qualification to the championship match 53 years ago
Local Supporters Inspires Team Italy Triumph
Backed passionately by the overwhelming number of a packed capacity audience, Cobolli conquered a slow start to trigger scenes of celebration among the Italian athletes, staff and supporters
Cobolli was surrounded by his teammates on court but paused for a brief time to commend Munar on his efforts before returning to the celebrations
Key Players Deliver in Missing Stars
Both the Italian squad and the Spanish team made the final even with missing star athletes, with the non-participation of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner preventing fans a seventh matchup of the season between the top-ranked tennis stars
But, with national second-ranked Lorenzo Musetti also missing, the Italian duo owned their opportunities in the limelight with perfect records from three singles matches apiece this week
Dramatic Comeback Secures Victory
The crowd chanted the player's moniker as he kept his calm to close out his recovery victory to zero, having forced the decisive break in the penultimate game of a nail-biting deciding set
That was quite an accomplishment, given he had admitted he had achieved a "dream" in delivering Italy to the final on domestic ground
In opposition to the events of Friday night, when Cobolli tore off his shirt in jubilation on "one of the best" days of his life, the world number 22 paid the consequence for a slow start as he conceded a dominant opening set
But the determined player launched a essential, swift response after going a break down at the start of the following set
Cobolli's luck seemed to shift after a nine-minute stop in play when a spectator of the audience became unwell
When play resumed, and with Munar facing a critical moment, the Italian lobbed over a volley that caught a fortunate net tape and brought the set to deuce
Even though frustratingly denied four set points on his opponent's serve, Cobolli seized command of a decisive tie-break to force the decider - where he yet again performed
The Veteran Extends Remarkable Run
The Italian star had previously taken his team competition singles winning streak to 11 matches with an excellent display against the Spanish opponent
The Grand Slam finalist converted his decisive opportunity for a advantage before confidently closing the first set to love
Having taken 11 of the last 13 points to take the first set, the player appeared ready to tighten his hold on the contest upon creating two break points in the opening game of the second
Carreno Busta managed to survive both before producing a series of solid service games - but Berrettini seized his next opportunity and served out to zero to finish his victory
