Italy continues the dream of a repeat in the Davis Cup. The blue troop archives, with a few too many difficulties, the Argentina practice, and is already concentrating on semi-final against Australia (who beat the USA), in what will be a repeat of last year’s final. The success of the doubles match made up of Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettinian almost unprecedented pair and certainly not made up of two accustomed to playing together, against a duo of specialists such as the Argentinians Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, capable of reaching the quarterfinals this year in three Slam tournaments, namely the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
It was an uncertain match, in which no one seemed to want to suffer a break, as demonstrated by the final score of 6-4 7-5, and in the end it was the break in favor of the Azzurri in the eleventh game that made the difference of the second set. There it was understood that the turning point of the match had arrived, in which the lion’s share went to Berrettini, who always appeared at ease on the fast surface on which he played. «How beautiful this moment is, I worked all year to be here, we made a great double against two specialists. But this is only the first step”, the warm words of the Roman tennis player. Sinner also spoke of “a different emotion” and explained that the success of this double was that “we understand each other very well even off the pitch”. Sinner also had the honesty to admit that for captain Filippo Volandri “it was bad to have left out two specialists like Bolelli and Vavassori who had a great season”. But the choice of whoever had to decide was rewarded: «we talked about it yesterday – revealed Volandri -, we had a precise idea even if Jannik had a very long season. But everyone did an amazing job.”
The swing of emotions had begun with the defeat of Lorenzo Musetti against Francisco Cerundolo, n. 30 in the world ranking who, playing with free arm on the fast court of the Palacio de Deportes Carpenà in Malaga, had left only five games to the blue Olympic bronze medalist in Paris. 6-4 6-1 and 1-0 for Argentina after the first match of this quarter-final, with Musetti really down in the dumps after the match. «I’m the first to be sorry and sorry for how I played – his words -. I wasn’t able to play as I had imagined I would. In the second set he did really well in his serves, I wasn’t able to. Today I missed a bit of everything, it was a miserable day….” «It remains difficult for me to comment on the game I played – added Musetti -. Even in the first set I never had the feeling of being in control of the game, which is something that still happens to me every now and then, but I’m working on it.” Jannik Sinner then decided to restore parity “monstrous”, an adjective that explains beyond many other words the way in which he brought the courageous Sebastian Baez into line, beaten with a peremptory 6-2 6-1 that left no room for doubts and discussions. The blows of the n. are too powerful. 1 in the world so that the Argentine could respond effectively. Sinner’s was a domination. There were many Italian fans in the stands, and they were immediately thrilled to find their favourite, obviously Sinner, who shot hard, deep and precise with a continuity that was unsustainable for the opponents, much less for Baez… «We’re the only ones who have it Jannik Sinner” they sang after the break that brought Jannik to 3-1. Then the match went on without any particular fluctuations, and with an authentic monologue from Sinner in the second set.