Sinner leads Italy past Netherlands for its 2nd straight Davis Cup title

Italy went nearly a quarter-century without winning the Davis Cup. Then along came Jannik Sinner, and now the country is celebrating its second consecutive title.

The No. 1-ranked Sinner clinched the championship in the annual team event and capped his breakthrough season by beating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (2), 6-2 on Sunday for a 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the final of the Davis Cup.

“Coming back as defending champions and winning again — it’s one of the best feelings I think for all of us,” Sinner said. “We are very happy to lift this trophy and, of course, also to go into the preseason with a bunch of confidence boosts.” Matteo Berrettini put Italy ahead with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Botic van de Zandschulp — the last man to beat Rafael Nadal — in the opening singles match on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena in southern Spain.

The Italians became the first team to win the Davis Cup twice in a row since the Czech Republic in 2012 and 2013. — PTI