The Italian team Secures Historic Third Consecutive Davis Cup Title
Flavio Cobolli secured the sixth-longest deciding set in team tennis records to beat Belgium's Zizou Bergs during the semi-finals
Flavio Cobolli and his compatriot propelled the Italian squad to Davis Cup victory as the hosts defeated Spain to capture a record-breaking third consecutive title in front of an ecstatic local supporters
Two days after he edged a marathon lengthy decider, Cobolli returned to excelled as he recovered from a set and a break down to beat his Spanish opponent in three sets
The 23-year-old's gritty 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 win clinched a 2-0 victory for his country in the Italian city after Berrettini had prevailed in straight sets against the Spanish player
It is a fourth overall Davis Cup title in total for Italy, who are the initial country to win three straight titles since title holders stopped receiving automatic qualification to the final over five decades back
Home Crowd Fuels Team Italy Victory
Backed enthusiastically by the overwhelming number of a sell-out 10,000-strong audience, Cobolli overcame a slow start to spark scenes of celebration among the Italian players, staff and supporters
Cobolli was mobbed by his team-mates on the playing surface but paused for a moment to praise his opponent on his efforts before returning to the festivities
Key Players Step Up in Missing Stars
Both the Italian squad and Spain made the final even with being without star athletes, with the absence of top-ranked players preventing fans a seventh meeting of the season between the world's dominant tennis stars
But, with national number two another key player also missing, Cobolli and Berrettini seized their opportunities in the limelight with perfect records from three singles matches each this week
Thrilling Recovery Secures Victory
The crowd shouted the player's moniker as he kept his composure to close out his comeback victory to love, having forced the decisive break in the penultimate game of a tense final set
That was no mean feat, given he had admitted he had achieved a "dream" in delivering Italy to Sunday's showpiece on domestic ground
In opposition to the events of Friday night, when Cobolli tore off his shirt in jubilation on "among the greatest" moments of his life, the ranked player paid the consequence for a poor beginning as he conceded a dominant first set
But the determined player initiated a essential, immediate response after going a behind at the start of the following set
Cobolli's luck appeared to change after a brief stop in play when a member of the audience became unwell
When the match resumed, and with Munar down break point, the player floated over a shot that caught a lucky net tape and brought the set back on level terms
Although frustratingly prevented multiple opportunities on his opponent's serve, the champion wrested command of a must-win tie-break to push the final set - where he once again performed
Berrettini Continues Impressive Winning Streak
Berrettini had previously extended his Davis Cup singles winning streak to eleven consecutive wins with an excellent performance against the Spanish opponent
The Grand Slam finalist used his decisive opportunity for a 5-3 lead before assuredly closing the opener to love
Having taken the majority of points to take the opening set, the player appeared ready to strengthen his grip on the match upon forcing two break points in the initial game of the second
His opponent succeeded to save each before putting together a series of strong serving performances - but Berrettini took his next opportunity and closed to love to finish his triumph