Without Wimbledon winner Jannik Sinner, the defending champions knock Belgium out in the semifinals.
Defending champions Italy are aiming for their third consecutive Davis Cup triumph, even without their top stars. In Bologna, the hosts, who had to do without Wimbledon winner Jannik Sinner and top 10 player Lorenzo Musetti, defeated Belgium 2-0 to advance to the final of the traditional tennis team competition. There, they will face either the German team led by top player Alexander Zverev or Spain on Sunday (3 p.m.).
Belgium, on the other hand, will have to wait a little longer for its fourth final appearance and first Davis Cup title. Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini gave Italy the lead with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Raphael Collignon in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the “SuperTennis Arena” in Hall 37 of the BolognaFiere exhibition center. Flavio Cobolli then decided the duel with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (17-15) victory over Zizou Bergs. The top doubles pair Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori did not have to play.
This has silenced the discussions about the absence of world number two Sinner. The South Tyrolean, who was instrumental in the Davis Cup triumphs in the previous two years, had taken an early well-deserved vacation after winning his second ATP Finals title, which caused discontent in Italy.
