Italian team members pose with the Davis Cup trophy. (AP photo) Italy celebrated a remarkable piece of tennis history on Sunday, securing their third Davis Cup title in as many years with a 2-0 victory over Spain in Bologna. The triumph marked a stunning domestic treble achieved without star player Jannik Sinner as Filippo Volandri’s side once again showed depth, resilience and unity on the biggest stage.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!The decisive moment came from Flavio Cobolli, who produced a thrilling comeback to beat Jaume Munar 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 to secure the title without needing a doubles rubber. The 23-year-old collapsed with joy as the arena erupted, completing Italy’s perfect run through the competition.“It was my dream, we are a really united team and we tried to recreate the spirit of the Italian team that won the World Cup in 2006,” Cobolli said. “I’m really proud of everyone and our brilliant fans are also part of this team… it’s the best day of my life.”Earlier, Matteo Berrettini put Italy ahead with a composite 6-3, 6-4 win over Pablo Carreno Busta, setting the tone for an afternoon that never looked like slipping. It capped a flawless campaign in which Italy did not lose a single match and doubles specialists Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori were not required at any stage.
The achievement is all the more remarkable given the absence of Italy’s two highest-ranked players, Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, both top-10 stars, who opted out of defending their title on home soil. Berrettini played down the impact of missing names, saying: “It doesn’t matter who goes there for us, we have a deep squad and we have a lot of great guys playing great tennis.”Chasing a seventh Davis Cup win, Spain were also without world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained during the ATP finals. Captain David Ferrer admitted the margin was small, saying: “It was a very, very, very tight draw… Italy are playing really well in the important moments.”Earlier on Sunday, ITF president David Haggerty rejected suggestions that top names were avoiding the competition, insisting: “There is a false sense that the top players are not representing their nation. That is not true.”
