BOLOGNA, Italy — Two-time defending champion Italy returned to the Davis Cup final as Flavio Cobolli saved seven match points in Friday’s dramatic semi-final, defeating Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (15).
After wasting six match points himself, Cobolli finally got Italy over the line. He took off his shirt, celebrated with his teammates, and eventually the team went to comfort Bergs, who was sitting in a chair crying.
The 17-15 final set tiebreak was the sixth longest in Davis Cup history.
“We fought for this victory for our country, but in the end we realized our dreams,” Kobori said. “My whole team played for my family. It was one of the best days of my life.”
Cobolli gave Italy a solid 2-0 lead without the need for a doubles contest. Earlier, Matteo Berrettini helped Italy advance by defeating Rafael Collignon 6-3, 6-4.
Italy, on a 13-game winning streak, will face the winner of Germany vs. Spain in Saturday’s semi-final, with No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz free of injury.
Neither Belgian player on Friday has won a singles title on the men’s tour. But Bergs, ranked 43rd in the rankings, played as if the match against 22nd-ranked Cobolli in front of a crowd in Bologna was the biggest match of his life.
At 3-3 in the second set tiebreak, Bergs found his range and tied the match with a forehand deep into the court, which Koboli returned long.
The players then changed hands and missed match point opportunities, but in the end Cobolli won with a service winner, while Bergs just held on to his racquet.
Cobolli jumped into the arms of team captain Filippo Volandri, who managed to maintain his composure during the rollercoaster tie-break.
“In my five years as captain, I’ve never seen anything like that. But this is how Davis Cup works. It was unbelievable,” Volandri said. “At the end, I said (to Kobolli) it’s 5% tactics and 95% heart.”
It was a more comfortable match for Berrettini, who has 10 singles titles on tour and is the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up. He won the first set with his service game against No. 86 Collignon.
Collignon dropped his first serve of the second set, but broke back at 2-2. Berrettini withstood aggressive shot-making to break at 4-3 and win the first match point with a love hold.
The Davis Cup Final 8 is the sixth edition of the revamped event, where a champion is determined at a neutral venue.
