Jannik Sinner teamed up with Matteo Berrettini to beat Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni and secure Italy's spot in the semi-finals of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
Jannik Sinner is the best tennis player in the world, and if someone lacks proof of that, he delivers one. Every. Single. Week. His dominance has been incredible, especially during the last hard-court part of the season.
He was the best player in the world during this part of the season already last year, and this year he took it another step further. At the moment, the 23-year-old Italian lost only one out of his last 31 singles matches, which is an insane stat.
Another one of his wins came at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals when he had to beat Sebastian Baez to save Italy from elimination already in the quarter-finals of the competition.
He ousted the Argentinian, and he was then also nominated for the doubles match alongside Matteo Berrettini. Last year, Sinner delivered almost all points for Italy en route to their first win in 47 years, and this year, he started by delivering the first two points as well.
The Italian team took a while to settle, as they faced a break point already in the second game of the opening set, but once they saved that, their confidence skyrocketed. Sinner and Berrettini had two break points in the third game, but the more experienced Argentinian doubles duo saved both.
For a while, it looked like the opening set would have to be decided in a tie-break, but that was until the Italians found level near gods and turned into literal walls. From 3-4 down, they won 12 consecutive points, first holding to love, then breaking to love, and then holding to love again to win the first set 6-4.
The second set of the match was a typical doubles set, especially on the extremely fast hard court in Malaga. Both teams easily held their serve, and this time, it really looked like the set would have to be decided in a tie-break.
But that was wrong once again. At 5-5, the Italian duo found their way to the only break point of the set, and they converted it to lead 6-5 and serve for the match. With Berrettini serving, the Italians kept the level high to win the match 6-4, 7-5, and secure Italy's spot in the semi-finals of the competition.
In the semi-finals, they will play against Australia, one of the two most successful teams in the Davis Cup's history. Naturally, following the victory, both Sinner and Berrettini were delighted, with the older of the two being happy to step onto the court this year after missing last year's edition.
"It’s so special. Last year I was so happy to be here but it’s a different feeling when you can step on court and enjoy playing with the best player in the world. It’s a big honor to be part of the team."
"It's not easy for the captain, there are so many good players. I had to work really hard to get a spot. I’m proud of myself and everything I’ve been through. These guys make everything easier. I’m really happy to be here."