Italy defeated the United States 2-1 in their Davis Cup quarterfinal on Thursday in Malaga with to wins from Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli in the decisive doubles match.
Italy and Canada will face off in the Davis Cup semifinals
The win qualified Canada into the semi-finals against them on Saturday. Canada defeated Germany 2-1 in their last-eight match after winning the decisive doubles.
“I’m so pleased to be here with my ‘brother,'” she exclaimed. Fognini praised his team’s performance after they defeated Jack Sock and Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-4.
Without their two best players, world number 15 Jannik Sinner and world number 16 Matteo Berrettini, Italy defeated an American team that included top-20 players Francis Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz.
The 45th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego defeated Tiafoe to start the tie by rallying from a set down to win 6-3, 7-6 (9/7).
When Fritz defeated Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (10/8), 6-3, he evened the score.
The 2015 Australian Open winners, Fognini and Bolelli, broke to win in the ninth game of the first set and the seventh game of the second.
Filippo Volandri, the captain, exclaimed, “I’m incredibly pleased of my squad and of this audience.”
“It feels like Italy!” All of the players performed brilliantly. Even Matteo, who was injured and was unable to participate, is present, while Jannik is watching from home.
Mardy Fish, the captain of the USA, had a miserable Thanksgiving.
Italy, who last won the Davis Cup in 1976, will take on Canada, who finished second in 2019.
Jan-Lennard Struff, who is now number 152 in the world, handed Germany the advantage in their quarterfinal with a surprise victory over Denis Shapovalov, who is currently ranked 18.
In nine confrontations, Struff has now defeated the Canadian six times. On Thursday, he withstood a torrent of 18 aces from the left-hander.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, the sixth-ranked player in the world and top-seeded in Malaga, defeated Oscar Otte, the 65th-ranked player in Germany, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, to tie the quarterfinal.
In the seventh game of the second set, Auger-Aliassime broke the tie for the match with 15 aces and 21 wins.