Italy Secures Record Third Consecutive Tennis Trophy Title
The Italian player clinched one of the longest tie-break in Davis Cup records to beat his Belgian opponent on Friday
The young Italian star alongside his compatriot led Italy to Davis Cup glory as the hosts defeated Spain to secure a historic third consecutive championship in front of an jubilant local supporters
Two days following he edged a marathon 32-point tie-break, Cobolli once again shone as he battled back from a set and a break down to overcome his Spanish opponent in a grueling match
The young player's gritty comeback victory win secured a 2-0 victory for his nation in Bologna after Berrettini had won 6-3 6-4 against the Spanish player
It is a fourth Davis Cup victory in total for the Italian team, who are the first nation to win three straight championships since defending champions stopped receiving direct entry to the final over five decades back
Local Supporters Fuels Italian Victory
Backed enthusiastically by the overwhelming number of a packed 10,000-strong audience, Cobolli overcame a slow start to spark scenes of celebration among the Italian players, coaches and fans
The champion was surrounded by his team-mates on the playing surface but took a brief time to praise his opponent on his performance before returning to the festivities
Key Players Step Up in Missing Stars
Each the Italian squad and the Spanish team made the final despite being without key players, with the non-participation of top-ranked players denying fans a seventh meeting of the season between the top-ranked men's players
But, with Italian number two Lorenzo Musetti too absent, Cobolli and Berrettini owned their moments in the spotlight with three wins from all their matches apiece during the tournament
Dramatic Recovery Seals Win
The crowd chanted the player's name as he kept his calm to close out his recovery triumph to zero, having forced the breakthrough in the 11th game of a tense final set
That was no mean feat, given he had stated he had realized a "dream" in delivering Italy to the showpiece on domestic ground
In contrast to the events of Friday night, when Cobolli tore off his shirt in jubilation on "among the greatest" moments of his life, the ranked player faced the consequence for a poor beginning as he lost a dominant opening set
But Cobolli initiated a necessary, swift response after falling a behind at the start of the following set
Cobolli's luck seemed to change after a brief pause in the match when a member of the crowd became ill
When the match continued, and with his opponent facing a critical moment, the Italian floated over a volley that caught a fortunate net tape and put the game back on level terms
Even though annoyingly denied four set points on his rival's serve, the champion seized control of a must-win breaker to push the final set - where he yet again performed
Berrettini Extends Impressive Winning Streak
Berrettini had earlier taken his Davis Cup singles winning streak to 11 matches with an excellent performance against the Spanish opponent
The former Wimbledon runner-up used his decisive opportunity for a 5-3 lead before assuredly closing the opener to zero
Having won 11 of the last 13 points to secure the opening set, the player looked set to strengthen his grip on the contest upon creating two break points in the opening game of the second
Carreno Busta succeeded to save both before producing a series of solid serving performances - but Berrettini took his following chance and served out to love to finish his victory