The Italian team Wins Historic Third Straight Tennis Trophy Championship
The Italian player secured the sixth-longest tie-break in team tennis records to defeat his Belgian opponent during the semi-finals
Flavio Cobolli alongside Matteo Berrettini propelled Italy to Davis Cup success as the hosts beat the Spanish team to secure a record-breaking third successive championship in front of an ecstatic home crowd
Two days following he edged an epic 32-point decider, the Italian talent once again starred as he battled back from a set and a break down to overcome Jaume Munar in three sets
The 23-year-old's gritty 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 win clinched a straight sets win for his country in the Italian city after Berrettini had won 6-3 6-4 against the Spanish player
It is a fourth overall Davis Cup victory overall for Italy, who are the first nation to achieve three consecutive championships since defending champions stopped receiving direct entry to the final over five decades back
Home Crowd Fuels Italian Victory
Backed enthusiastically by the overwhelming number of a packed 10,000-strong audience, the Italian star overcame a slow start to spark scenes of celebration among the team players, coaches and supporters
Cobolli was mobbed by his team-mates on the playing surface but paused for a brief time to praise his opponent on his efforts before rejoining the festivities
Star Performers Step Up in Missing Stars
Both the Italian squad and Spain reached the final even with being without star athletes, with the non-participation of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner preventing fans a seventh meeting of the season between the top-ranked men's players
But, with national number two Lorenzo Musetti also missing, the Italian duo owned their opportunities in the limelight with three wins from three singles matches apiece during the tournament
Thrilling Comeback Seals Win
The crowd chanted the player's name as he kept his calm to close out his recovery victory to love, having forced the breakthrough in the penultimate game of a nail-biting final set
That was quite an accomplishment, given he had admitted he had realized a "goal" in delivering his nation to the showpiece on home soil
In contrast to the events of the previous match, when the athlete tore off his jersey in jubilation on "one of the best" moments of his career, the ranked player faced the price for a poor beginning as he lost a dominant opening set
But the determined player launched a essential, swift comeback after going a break down at the beginning of the second
The Italian's fortunes appeared to change after a brief stop in play when a member of the crowd became unwell
When play continued, and with his opponent down break point, the Italian floated over a shot that hit a fortunate net tape and brought the game to deuce
Even though annoyingly denied four set points on his opponent's service game, Cobolli seized control of a must-win tie-break to force the decider - where he yet again performed
Berrettini Extends Remarkable Run
The Italian star had previously extended his team competition individual victory run to eleven consecutive wins with an superb performance against Carreno Busta
The Grand Slam finalist converted his third break point for a 5-3 lead before assuredly serving out the opener to zero
Having won 11 of the last 13 points to secure the first set, Berrettini appeared ready to strengthen his grip on the contest upon creating two break points in the initial game of the following set
Carreno Busta managed to survive each before putting together a sequence of solid serving performances - but Berrettini seized his next opportunity and closed to love to finish his triumph
