BOLOGNA, Italy — Zizou Bergs defeated Arthur Rinderknev 6-3, 7-6 (4) on Tuesday, giving Belgium a commanding 2-0 lead over 10-time champion France into the Davis Cup semifinals.
Belgium had lost the last four meetings against France, including the 2017 final. They will play either top-ranked Italy or Austria on Friday. The remaining two quarterfinals will be played on Thursday and include second-place Germany vs. Argentina and Spain vs. fourth-seeded Czech Republic.
Bergs remained in control throughout, clinching the match with a stunning forehand winner down the line.
Before that, Raphael Collignon defeated Corentin Moutet 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 to give Belgium a 1-0 lead. Tie matches will be played as a best-of-three match, with two singles matches and one doubles match.
Both countries have returned to this stage of team competition since it was revamped in 2019. The Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna will be the sixth time the tournament has crowned the champion on neutral soil.
Moutet played solid tennis until the 12th game of the second set, but committed two double faults, attempted a leg-to-leg shot, wavered from an easy point at the net, and dropped serve as Collignon pressed for a decisive opportunity.
A similar scenario unfolded in the third set, when Collignon earned a decisive break in the final game.
“It was a crazy game,” Collignon said.
Spain will be without top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who was sidelined early Tuesday with a hamstring injury.
