Defending champions Italy claimed a 2-0 victory over Australia at the hands of in-form Matteo Berrettini and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who beat Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alex de Minaur in their respective singles matches on Saturday in Malaga.
Italy’s clinical semifinal triumph sees the team led by captain Filippo Volandri punch its ticket to the Davis Cup showdown for the second straight year.
Bidding to become the first squad to retain the title since Czechia in 2013, Italy will face off against first-time finalist Netherlands on Sunday on Spanish soil.
The teams met last September in the Group Stage, sited in the Italian city of Bologna, where the home nation surged victorious 2-1 over Paul Haarhuis’s outfit.
En route to the 2024 final, Italy moved past Brazil, Belgium, Netherlands, Argentina, and Australia.
The Netherlands made history by advancing to a maiden Davis Cup grand finale after winning both semifinal singles matches in its tie against Germany.
Representing their country, Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor rallied to take down Daniel Altmaier and Jan-Lennard Struff on Friday night.
Semifinals
The semifinal showdown between Italy and Australia opened with Berrettini fiercely fighting back to overcome Kokkinakis 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5, pocketing the first tie for the reigning champions after a two-hour, 43-minute thriller.
Courtside, Berrettini stressed: “After I lost the first set, it wasn’t easy to digest that, but I’m fighting for my country with this crowd, so I’m happy.”
Then, Sinner took by storm De Minaur, producing a straightforward 6-3, 6-4 win in 88 minutes, sealing proceedings at Palacio Deportes Martin Carpena.
The Year-end No. 1 assessed his performance, outlining: “It was a tough encounter, playing Alex. We know each other quite well now, so I have to be very careful every time. It’s a very tough challenge for me, so I was looking forward to this one.”
Adding: “It helped a lot that Matteo won the singles today. He played amazing tennis, it was very high quality. Hopefully, this can give us some confidence for tomorrow. It’s going to be a very difficult and tough day for us and the Netherlands.”
Meanwhile, a historic Friday night for the Netherlands saw Van de Zandschulp surviving the dramatic test posed by Almaier to steal a hard-earned 6-4, 6-7(12), 6-3 win after two hours and 42 minutes and on his 10th match-point to give his nation a 1-0 lead.
“I didn’t know what to do anymore on those match points,” said the 29-year-old who defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.
“In the second set, I had 4-2 15-40, and I felt like if I had made the double break there, it would be game, set, and match. In the tiebreak, he handled some of the match points quite well.”
Griekspoor hit the court next, firing on his booming serve to hold his ground when it mattered most, staging a dramatic comeback 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4 win over Struff.
“We have been talking about this [moment] for two or three years,” commented the 28-year-old.
“We came here all the time and had unbelievably tough draws, losing to finalists and winners, and this year we had Spain in the quarterfinals, but we believed in ourselves so much and felt this was possible.”
Addressing his singles tie against the German player, he asserted: “I just tried to focus on my own game. I felt he was playing unbelievable tennis; I didn’t do much wrong in the first set.
“I am super proud of myself, super proud of the effort, and very happy to get the win in the end.”
Across the group stage, the team powered past Switzerland, Brazil, Spain, and Germany, falling to Belgium and Italy.
The finalists’ lineups will stand for both teams on Sunday, featuring Berrettini versus Van de Zandschulp and then Sinner against Griekspoor.
In case a decider doubles match is required, Italy designated Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
Dutch Wesley Koolhof is a doubles specialist who could pair Van de Zandschulp or any other team member.