Spain lose Davis Cup tennis final as Italy secure third straight title

Italy won their third consecutive Davis Cup on Sunday after beating Spain 2-0 in Bologna, ending the visitors’ hopes of lifting a seventh title. Spain, who had enjoyed a surprise run to their first final since 2019, couldn't overcome the hosts despite their strong performances earlier in the week.

In the first match, Matteo Berrettini put Italy ahead with a straight-sets win over Pablo Carreño 6-3 6-4. The Wimbledon finalist dominated on serve as he won 83 per cent of points behind his delivery and didn't allow Carreño a single break point.

The result continued Berrettini’s resurgence at this event, where he won all three of his matches without dropping a set.

In the second match, Flavio Cobolli then sealed the title by defeating Jaume Munar 1-6 7-6 7-5 in a contest that turned on physical resilience. Munar started superbly and led by a set and a break before play paused for ten minutes due to a spectator suffering a medical issue.

Although Munar kept competing well, Cobolli edged a tense second-set tie-break, then used his extra freshness to pull clear late in the decider.

Spain’s squad of Munar, Carreño, Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martínez come away from Bologna having surprised many. Not only did Italy benefit from an extra rest day after not playing on Saturday, but Spain had entered the week without Carlos Alcaraz and Malaga-born Alejandro Davidovich.

Despite this, they still upset the Czech Republic and Germany to reach the final.

Captain David Ferrer said his players "gave everything" and they now look ahead to next September when they will face Serbia or Chile in their first tie.