Sinner powers Davis Cup holders Italy past Australia to final / Photo: JORGE GUERRERO - AFP
Sinner powers Davis Cup holders Italy past Australia to final
World number one Jannik Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur in straight sets to power holders Italy into the Davis Cup final with a 2-0 victory over Australia on Saturday.
The two-time winners will face Netherlands in Sunday's showpiece after the Dutch ousted Germany 2-0 on Friday to make the final for the first time in 104 years of trying.
Sinner, who has never lost against De Minaur in nine matches including last year's Davis Cup final, triumphed 6-3, 6-4 in Malaga.
In the first singles rubber Matteo Berrettini earned a 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 7-5 win over Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis in two hours 46 minutes.
"I had one of the best feelings ever last year winning the Davis Cup," said Sinner.
"We're happy to be back (in the final), it will be a very tough encounter but we will give 100 percent."
Australia, beaten finalists in each of the last two years, are the second most successful team in the tournament's history with 28 titles but last won it in 2003.
Australian Open, US Open and ATP Finals winner Sinner is enjoying a superb year and can cap it with another Davis Cup triumph.
The 23-year-old is still waiting for the outcome of the World Anti-Doping Agency's appeal against his initial exoneration for twice testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March.
However he has not been distracted and despite De Minaur, ranked ninth, battling hard, claimed the first set without much stress.
The players exchanged breaks in the second and third games before Sinner broke decisively for a 4-2 lead with a delicious drop shot, and he served it out.
In the second set De Minaur produced some fine shots, including a sensational lob in the sixth game as he battled back from 0-40 down, but the tricky Sinner was able to hold.
The Italian worked the first break points of the second set in the ninth game. De Minaur saved two but Sinner converted the third with a passing shot to serve for the match.
A Sinner smash drew match point he claimed victory when De Minaur went badly wide and mangled his racquet in sheer frustration.
- Tense opener -
Berrettini was superb in the doubles decider as Italy beat Argentina in the quarter-finals and captain Filippo Volandri rewarded him with selection in the opening clash in place of Lorenzo Musetti.
Kokkinakis emerged triumphant after an epic battle against Ben Shelton as Australia ousted record 32-time winners USA but fell short this time.
Berrettini watched on as Italy won the Davis Cup for the first time in 47 years in 2023, not part of the squad but cheering from the sidelines as he recovered from an ankle injury.
This year he has been able to play an important role in Italy's charge towards the final.
"Thank you very much for the support, I'm so happy," said Berrettini.
"After I lost the first set it wasn't easy to digest that, but when I'm fighting for my country with this crowd... I kept on fighting."
Kokkinakis clung on to take the first set to a tie-break which he shaded.
Buoyed, the Australian produced his first break point of the match but Berrettini held for a 2-1 advantage and went on to claim the set with a break in the eighth game, which he served out.
Kokkinakis survived two break points in the first game of the third set and no others emerged in an even battle until the 11th game when he conceded two more.
Berrettini capitalised on the first and clinched the set with an ace to delight thousands of Italian supporters at the Martin Carpena arena, before Sinner's victory over De Minaur.
"I felt I was playing an away tie, it was tough on Australia -- we were playing in Spain but I thought we were in Italy," said Kokkinakis, echoing prior Australian complaints about the revamped Davis Cup format.
G.Svensson--RTC
