After 46 years, Italy finally won a Davis Cup Championship after Janik Sinner’s masterclass helped defeat Australia 2-0.
Italy entered the final eight with heightened expectations, primarily fueled by the exceptional performance of Jannik Sinner.
The 22-year-old had an impressive track record, having only lost three out of his last 23 matches and clinching titles in Montpellier, Toronto, Beijing, and Vienna. Notably, he also defeated the world number one, Novak Djokovic, during the round-robin stages of the ATP Finals.
Sinner, ranked fourth in the world, had already played a pivotal role for Italy on Saturday. He displayed remarkable resilience by saving three match points against Djokovic, leveling the tie against Serbia. Additionally, he teamed up with Lorenzo Sonego to secure victory in the doubles, securing Italy’s place in the final.
In the finale in Malaga, Spain, Matteo Arnaldi secured the opening point for Italy, overcoming Alexei Popyrin 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the first game. Jannik Sinner, following his exceptional feat of defeating Djokovic twice in a single day just under 24 hours earlier, demonstrated remarkable composure.
Sinner concluded the best two weeks of his career with a commanding 6-3, 6-0 victory over Alex de Minaur.
After an initial loss to Canada in the round-robin, Italy defeated Chile 3-0 and Sweden 2-1 to advance to the knockouts. They defeated Netherlands and Serbia in R8 and R4 respectively to advance to the final.
Meanwhile, Misery struck Australia which lost their second straight Davis Cup finals. The second-most successful team in Davis Cup Championship history is still waiting for gold since its last win in 2003.
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Italy’s Track Record in Davis Cup ChampionshipsÂ
Italy has featured in 82 Davis Cup Championships. They have won the Championship twice, including the recent victory in 1976.
In 1976, Italy secured its inaugural Davis Cup title by defeating Chile 4–1 at Estadio Nacional in Santiago. The team established an early advantage on Day 1, with Corrado Barazzutti and Adriano Panatta emerging victorious in their respective singles matches. Italy further solidified its position with an unassailable 3–0 lead the next day, as Panatta, alongside Paolo Bertolucci, triumphed in the doubles. Despite initially trailing by one set, they rallied to win the next three sets, ultimately clinching the rubber in four sets.
In the World Group Era, They have maintained the Top 16 in the World for so long until relegation struck them in 2000. They made it back after defeating Chile in playoffs in 2011.
Italy has finished runners-up six times, the Semifinalists a whopping eleven times, and the Quarterfinalists twenty times.
