Sinner and Sonego lead Italy to victory against Netherlands in Davis Cup quarter-final
The Italian duo beat Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof in the deciding doubles match to send Italy into the Davis Cup semi-finals
Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego, Davis Cup 2023 – © Imago / Panoramic
Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego have beaten Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof to knock the Netherlands out of the Davis Cup and send Italy through to the semi-finals.
The Italian duo beat their Dutch opponents 6-3, 6-4 in the deciding doubles match of the quarter-final tie in Malaga to complete their team’s comeback from 1-0 down to 2-1 victors.
Italy have now reached the semi-finals of the Davis Cup for two years in a row, having also made the last four this time last year.
In the end, it was a comfortable closing match for the experienced Sinner and Sonego, who broke once in each set without reply to earn a straightforward but hugely significant victory over Griekspoor and Koolhof, sending their team and the Italian fans inside the stadium into raptures.
Day three of the 2023 Davis Cup Finals began with an eyebrow-raising win for the Netherlands, as Van de Zandschulp fought back from a set down to defeat Matteo Arnaldi and get the Dutch off to a dream start against the favoured Italians.
Italy knew they could count on their leading man Sinner for the second match, however, and the world No 4 sealing the result for the Italians never looked in doubt. Easing some of the pain of his ATP Finals defeat on home soil, still only four days raw, he confidently dispatched Griekspoor to draw his country level.
Sinner was back in action almost immediately, taking to the court with Sonego in the deciding doubles match and winning in style to lead his team into the semi-finals.
Italy is looking to add to their one Davis Cup victory, which came back in 1976. Since then, the Italians have suffered four defeats in the final, having reached the showpiece tie a total of seven times.
This current crop of youthful Italian talent will be looking to rectify those painful memories and bring the Davis Cup back to Italian shores for just a second time in their history.
With Sinner in their ranks, the difficult experience of falling short in front of an expectant home crowd still fresh in his mind, this Italian team boast both talent and experience of big occasions.
They will take on either Great Britain or Novak Djokovic‘s Serbia in the last four, and will certainly take some stopping in Malaga this week.
