Italy clinched the championship with an undefeated record, winning all three of their matches by a 2-0 margin. Facing a Spanish team missing Carlos Alcaraz, the Italian players displayed greater ease and confidence. Matteo Berrettini opened with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Pablo Carreno Busta, followed by Flavio Cobolli's 1-6, 7-6, 7-5 win against Jaume Munar in the second match.

The championship was particularly impressive, considering that before the tournament, two Italian world top 10 players, Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, withdrew to rest after competing in the ATP Finals. Lorenzo Sonego, another reserve singles player for Italy, also remained on the sidelines. Italy had previously overcome two opponents, Austria and Belgium, with a similar scenario: Berrettini and Cobolli secured consecutive singles victories, eliminating the need for a decisive doubles match. The Italian doubles pair for the tournament, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, did not play any matches.

Cobolli (second from left) lifts the cup with the joy of captain Volandri (left) and teammates, on Bologna Fiere court, Bologna, Italy on 23/11. Photo: ATP

Like Italy, Spain was without their number one player, Carlos Alcaraz, due to injury. The 22-year-old star withdrew just before the Davis Cup Finals began, with Carreno Busta stepping in—a player who had seen a decline after a long injury layoff. Before reaching the final, Spain defeated the Czech Republic and Germany through decisive doubles matches, handled by Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez.

Italy's victory on home soil in Bologna marked the first time since the US team from 1968-1972 that a nation has won the Davis Cup three consecutive years. The Italian team previously triumphed in 2023 and 2024 when the tournament was held in Malaga, Spain.

Italian tennis experienced a highly successful year, as just a week ago, their women's team won the Billie Jean King Cup, a tournament similar to the Davis Cup, held in Shenzhen, China. Italy is the first non-Grand Slam host nation to win both the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup in the same year. The two preceding nations to achieve this feat were the US and Australia, both of which host Grand Slams.

Vy Anh