Italy completes Davis Cup hat-trick by beating Spain 2-0 in Bologna, winning without top players Sinner and Musetti while Spain missed Alcaraz
ITALY secured their third consecutive Davis Cup title with a commanding 2-0 victory over Spain in Sunday’s final.
Matteo Berrettini set the tone with a straightforward 6-3, 6-4 win against Pablo Carreno Busta in the opening singles match.
Flavio Cobolli then sealed the championship by rallying from a set down to defeat Jaume Munar 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5.
The victory meant Italy claimed the trophy without needing to play the doubles rubber.
Captain Filippo Volandri’s team achieved the remarkable feat without dropping a single match throughout the finals.
Italy competed without their two highest-ranked players, world top-10 stars Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti.
Spain also missed their top player, world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty defended player participation before the final.
“There’s this false feeling out there that top players don’t represent their nation. That’s not true,” Haggerty told reporters.
He noted that several top-20 players including Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Holger Rune and Casper Ruud had competed in earlier rounds. – AFP
