Yannik Sinner of Italy defeated world number one Novak Djokovic in the round-robin of the ATP finals. However, he halted in the championship match and was defeated in straight sets.
However, in a crucial moment for his nation, he delivered a performance of extraordinary quality, defeating Novak Djokovic to eliminate Serbia in the semifinals and setting up an electrifying final against Australia, whose 29 Davis Cup titles were narrowing the distance with the United States’ 32 trophies.
Following Kecmanovic’s victory in the initial rubber of the singles match against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the semifinal, Djokovic entered the match against Sinner with three match points. On the final day, with Djokovic leading Italy 6-5, Sinner was serving 0-40, requiring just one point to ensure Djokovic’s victory and advance Italy to the final of the Davis Cup.
Throughout his career, this was the first occasion he had blown a three-match point. Sinner overcame adversity to secure the victory over Djokovic in the decider by a score of 7–5. This triumph equalized the score at 1-1. Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego defeated Kecmanovic and Djokovic, 6-3, 6-4.
This positioned them to face Australia in the final on Sunday in Malaga, Spain. Arnaldi Matteo of Italy defeated Alex Popyrin 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the first round of singles play. The star of this year’s Davis Cup, Philippe Sinner, then defeated Alex de Minau 6-3, 6-0, igniting pyrotechnics at the Palacio de Los Deportes, the site of the final.
It was a momentous conclusion for Italy, who were claiming their second Davis Cup championship in the tournament’s illustrious history; the tournament is analogous to the World Cup in football. The final victory was in 1998. The reigning global tennis champions are Italy.