The Italian team Clinches Record Third Consecutive Davis Cup Championship
Flavio Cobolli clinched one of the longest tie-break in team tennis records to beat Belgium's Zizou Bergs on Friday
Flavio Cobolli alongside his compatriot guided the Italian squad to team tennis victory as the hosts defeated Spain to secure a historic three-peat championship in front of an overjoyed local supporters
48 hours after he edged a marathon lengthy tie-break, Cobolli returned to starred as he battled back from a set and a break down to overcome his Spanish opponent in a grueling match
The 23-year-old's determined comeback victory success secured a 2-0 victory for his country in the Italian city after his teammate had won in straight sets against the Spanish player
It is a fourth overall Davis Cup victory overall for Italy, who are the first nation to achieve three consecutive titles since title holders stopped receiving direct entry to the championship match over five decades back
Local Supporters Fuels Team Italy Victory
Supported enthusiastically by the vast majority of a sell-out 10,000-strong crowd, the Italian star overcame a poor beginning to trigger moments of celebration among the team athletes, coaches and fans
The champion was surrounded by his team-mates on court but paused for a brief time to praise Munar on his efforts before rejoining the celebrations
Star Performers Deliver in Missing Stars
Each the Italian squad and Spain reached the final despite being without star athletes, with the absence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner preventing spectators a seventh matchup of the season between the top-ranked tennis stars
But, with national second-ranked Lorenzo Musetti too missing, the Italian duo owned their opportunities in the limelight with three wins from three singles matches each during the tournament
Dramatic Comeback Seals Win
The crowd chanted the player's name as he kept his composure to close out his comeback triumph to zero, having forced the decisive break in the 11th game of a tense final set
That was quite an accomplishment, given he had stated he had realized a "goal" in delivering Italy to the final on domestic ground
In contrast to the scenes of the previous match, when the athlete removed his jersey in jubilation on "one of the best" moments of his life, the ranked player paid the price for a poor beginning as he lost a one-sided opening set
But the determined player launched a necessary, immediate response after going a behind at the beginning of the following set
Cobolli's luck seemed to shift after a brief stop in the match when a spectator of the crowd became unwell
When play continued, and with Munar facing break point, the player lobbed over a volley that hit a lucky net tape and brought the set to deuce
Although annoyingly denied four set points on his rival's serve, Cobolli seized command of a decisive tie-break to force the final set - where he yet again delivered
Berrettini Continues Impressive Run
The Italian star had previously taken his team competition individual victory run to 11 matches with an superb performance against the Spanish opponent
The former Wimbledon runner-up used his decisive opportunity for a 5-3 lead before confidently serving out the first set to love
Having won the majority of points to secure the first set, Berrettini appeared ready to tighten his grip on the match upon forcing opportunities in the opening game of the following set
His opponent managed to save each before putting together a series of solid serving performances - but the Italian took his next opportunity and served out to love to complete his triumph