In the first match, Lorenzo Sonego delivered on his Davis Cup Finals debut to give Italy a 1-0 lead over the United States, defeating Reilly Opelka.
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Jannik Sinner was at his scintillating best on his Davis Cup Finals debut to clinch the victory for Italy against the United States. He outplayed John Isner 6-2, 6-0 at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. The World No.10 backed up Lorenzo Sonego’s win by hitting 16 winners and committing just four unforced errors to earn the win after 64 minutes. “Playing here was very special,” Sinner said. “Today we have won already, which is great. We have a great team and everyone is a great guy as well, so we are just trying to stay together. I am very honoured to be a part of this.”
Earlier, Sonego also delivered on his Davis Cup Finals debut to give Italy a 1-0 lead over the United States. He survived a tough battle against Reilly Opelka 6-3, 7-6. The 26-year-old, who triumphed on home soil in Cagliari this season, was nearly unplayable on his service games. He won 90 per cent (38/42) of points behind his first delivery and saved the one break point he faced to secure victory in one hour and 31 minutes.Â
Italy come out on top! ?#DavisCupFinals #byRakuten pic.twitter.com/VS1eOPYvWE
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 26, 2021
“It was not easy,” Sonego said. “It was the first time for me competing at the Davis Cup and I am really happy about the match. Thank you everyone.”
The United States earned a point in the final match of Friday, as Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock moved past Fabio Fognini and Lorenzo Musetti 7-6, 6-2 after one hour and 36 minutes in the doubles. Despite that defeat, Italy clinched the tie 2-1 overall.
Marin Cilic had to overcome a difficult challenge at the Davis Cup Finals, as he got past Alex de Minaur 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. As a result, he gave Croatia a 2-0 lead against Australia in Group D at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. The World No.30, who helped guide Croatia to the Davis Cup title in 2018, fired 29 winners. He fought back from a break down in the third set to clinch the victory after two hours and 10 minutes.
“It is such a great occasion to be back on the court playing for Croatia,” Cilic said. “We have not had a match in the past 20 months. It was a pleasure to play against team Australia, they were fighting strong. Every match is important.”
Earlier, Borna Gojo earned just his second Top 100 win when he impressively held off Alexei Popyrin 7-6, 7-5 to give Croatia a 1-0 lead. The 23-year-old fired eight aces and saved all five break points he faced against the World No.61, as he registered the win in one hour and 52 minutes.Â
“It feels amazing,” Gojo said. “We have unbelievable support here, I would like to thank everyone who came from Croatia. It is a big win for me, but I am here as part of team Croatia and we need three points.
“He was probably the better player in the first set, but I knew if I focused on my serve and stayed close, I would have a chance eventually. We had a close one in Australia at the beginning of the year, so I knew I could compete with him.”
In the final match, Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic gave Croatia a 3-0 victory, defeating De Minaur and John Peers 6-3, 6-1 in the doubles.
