BOLOGNA, Italy (AP) — Matteo Berrettini beat Raphael Collignon 6-3, 6-4 to give two-time defending champion Italy the lead against Belgium in their Davis Cup semifinal on Friday.
The No. 56-ranked Berrettini, a 2021 Wimbledon runner-up with 10 singles titles on the tour, clinched the first set on serve against No. 86 Collignon.
Collignon dropped his opening serve of the second set but he broke back for 2-2. Berrettini withstood aggressive shot-making to break for 4-3 and won on his first match point with a love hold.
Later Friday, No. 22 Flavio Cobolli faced No. 43 Zizou Bergs in the second singles in the Italian city of Bologna. Neither Belgian has won a singles title on the men’s tour. Cobolli survived a titanic tussle to clinch victory for Italy, winning, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (15); Cobolli saved seven match points against Bergs, who led 6-4 in the final-set tiebreaker.
Italy will meet the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between Germany and Spain.
