Jannik Sinner keeps Italy's hopes alive at the Davis Cup Finals

Italy needed the brilliance of Jannik Sinner to seal its chances at the Davis Cup quarter-final draw against Argentina. Kicking off the Davis Cup Finals campaign in Malaga as the defending champions, Italy was stunned early by Argentina in the quarter-final draw. Francisco Cerundolo displayed a spectacular performance to open the tie as the World No. 30-ranked Argentinian beat the much higher-ranked Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-1 in Malaga. Fresh off his title victory at the ATP Finals in Turin, Sinner then took to the arena to put Italy ahead in the campaign. Playing both the singles and subsequently the doubles draw, Sinner, along with Matteo Berrettini, scripted a come-from-behind victory to set up a semi-final clash against Australia at the Davis Cup Finals.

Jannik Sinner leads Italy to a 2-1 victory over Argentina in the quarter-final at Davis Cup Finals

Jannik Sinner joined the Italian team on Tuesday, immediately after clinching his maiden ATP Finals title in Turin. Buoyed by his career-best showing on the ATP Tour, Sinner continued his golden run as he pulled Italy out of trouble in the quarter-final draw at the Davis Cup Finals. The tie commenced with the World No. 17 Lorenzo Musetti going ahead of Sinner to face Francisco Cerundolo in the opening singles fixture. Cerundolo claimed a straight-sets victory over the Italian to put Argentina in the lead early on. While Musetti put up a significant fight in the first set, Cerundolo delivered a dominating show in the second set as he beat the Italian 6-4, 6-1. The 30th-ranked player in the ATP Standings, following his victory, exclaimed that the face-off against Musetti was one of his best matches of the year.

For the second match of the tie, Jannik Sinner squared off against the World No. 27-ranked Sebastian Baez. Similar to many players that have faced Sinner recently, Baez had no answer to the top-ranked Italian. Sinner asserted his dominance early, delivering a flawless service game from the start. He broke Baez’s serve in the fourth game, establishing a commanding 4-1 lead.

Though Baez managed to land 71% of his first serves, he could not convert them into any significant advantage against the Italian. With the pressure mounting, the Argentine faced the daunting task of serving to stay in the set at 2-5. Despite a spirited effort in the set's longest game, Baez couldn’t hold off Sinner, who secured his second break on his sixth chance to claim the opening set 6-2.

The second set saw Sinner take the pressure up a notch, storming to a 4-0 lead after winning 16 of the first 20 points. Baez had a glimmer of hope with four break points in the fifth game but failed to convert, allowing Sinner to edge closer to victory at 5-0. Although Baez held his final service game to avoid a bagel, Sinner wrapped up the match in emphatic fashion, sealing a 6-2, 6-1 win.

The victory against Baez was Sinner's 11th consecutive win of the season. The Italian, who claimed the year-end No.1 title by an enormous margin, has won 27 of his last 28 contests. With the victory over Baez, Sinner brought Italy level with Argentina in the tie, providing a real chance for the defending champions to soar past the quarter-final stage in Malaga.

Following the conclusion of the singles draw, the Italian coach, Filippo Volandri, made a surprising change to the lineup. The coach sent Sinner and Matteo Berrettini ahead of the previously set doubles duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. The risk paid off as Sinner and Berrettini picked up a 6-4, 7-5 victory over the Argentinian pair of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni. Backing their chances for the semi-finals, Berrettini and Sinner displayed early dominance. The Italian duo won 90 percent of their first-serve points and saved all five break points against Gonzalez-Molteni. A crucial break at 5-5 in the second set electrified the Italian crowd in Malaga, as the home favorites moved closer to sealing the win.

"It was a must-win match," Sinner said after he led Italy to the 2-1 victory over Argentina in the quarter-final tie. "Very different conditions. The court is very, very fast and tough to play. I haven't had so much time to adapt to the conditions, but I'm happy about today," he added.

With their victory over Argentina, Italy has set up a semi-final clash against Australia. Australia made their way up to the penultimate stage by securing a 2-1 win over America in the quarter-final tie. Interestingly, Jannik Sinner emerged as the main man for Italy when they won the Davis Cup Finals in 2023 for the first time in 76 years. The 23-year-old fended off Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-0 as Italy secured a 2-0 win over Australia to clinch the Davis Cup trophy.