Italian tennis players defended their Davis Cup title. In today’s final in Málaga, they defeated the Netherlands 2-0 after the singles matches and won the third title in history in the team competition. The decisive point was won by the number one player in the world and two-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner.
Captain Filippo Volandri’s team was led by Matteo Berrettini, who defeated Botic Van de Zandschulp 6:4, 6:2. Sinner then defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7:6, 6:2 in one hour and 35 minutes.
The Italians defended the title in the team competition as the first after the Czech Republic, which triumphed in 2012 and 2013. In addition to last season, they also won in 1976.
Italy became the fifth country to win both the Davis Cup and the women’s Billie Jean King Cup, formerly the Fed Cup, in the same year. Before them, the selections of the USA, Australia, the Czech Republic and Russia did it. In the final, the debuting Dutch did not take the chance to win their first triumph.
The 35th player in the world Berrettini defeated Van de Zandschulp in a doubles match in one hour and 18 minutes. He helped himself to 16 aces, he did not offer a single break point to his opponent. 2021 Wimbledon finalist Berrettini took the first set with a break in the ninth game. In the second, he took the opponent’s serve twice more and converted the second match point.
The Italian triumph was sealed by Sinner, who also won the third duel in Málaga without losing a set. He scored 15 aces against world number 40 Griekspoor, breaking the opponent three times. He also defeated the 28-year-old Dutchman in the sixth match between them.
This year’s Australian Open and US Open winner Sinner took a close first set in a shortened game which he won 7-2. In the second set, the Italian lost the break lead at 2:1, but then won four games in a row and ended the duel at the fourth match point.
Newly crowned Tournament of Champions winner Sinner won his 17th straight match and became only the second tennis player in the “open era” to go a season without a single match in which he did not win at least one set. So far, only Roger Federer of Switzerland has managed this in 2005.
Source: www.tyden.cz
