ATP Tour

Heroic Cobolli saves 7 MPs, sends Italy past Belgium into third straight Davis Cup final

Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini propelled Italy into its third straight Davis Cup final on Friday in Bologna, where Cobolli delivered a show-stopping performance to close out a 2-0 victory over Belgium.

After Berrettini had given Italy the early advantage with a composed 6-3, 6-4 win over Raphael Collignon, Cobolli turned the evening into a spectacle inside the SuperTennis Arena. The 23-year-old survived seven match points in a nerve-shredding 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(15) victory against Zizou Bergs that sent the home fans into a frenzy.

"It's really tough to say something about this match," Cobolli said. "We fought for our country, for this win, but in the end I realised my dream. We are in the final now... I played for all of my team, my family, and it's one of the best days of my life."

🤯 32-POINT FINAL SET TIEBREAK 🤯

✅ 7 Match points saved @DavisCup | #DavisCup | @cobollifla pic.twitter.com/pE388FW6cO

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 21, 2025

Cobolli ripped his shirt to shreds in celebration after winning a marathon deciding-set tie-break — featuring all seven match-point saves — that sent two-time defending champions Italy through and avenged his lone Davis Cup defeat, inflicted by Bergs during last year’s round-robin stage. He now leads the Belgian 2-1 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Berrettini, the former No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, earned his his seventh consecutive singles win at the event, building on his pivotal role in Italy’s title-winning campaign last year. They are now the first country to reach three consecutive finals since Australia in 2001.

Italy awaits the winner of Saturday’s semi-final clash between Spain and Germany, both of whom reached this stage after winning crucial doubles deciders. Riding a 13-tie winning streak, Italy is aiming to become the first country to win three consecutive Davis Cup titles since USA in 1971.