Getting off to a bad start in its Davis Cup quarter-final against Argentina, Italy returned to the tie on Thursday (1-1) thanks to the clear victory of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner against Sebastian Baez (27th), before a decisive double that he will also contest.
Recent winner of the ATP Masters in Turin, his first victory in his native country, defending champion in the Davis Cup, Sinner dominated Baez 6-2, 6-1 in less than an hour and a quarter in Malaga, where the phase takes place final of the competition.
In the first match of the day, the Argentine Francisco Cerundolo (30th) defeated the Italian Lorenzo Musetti (17th) 6-4, 6-1.
Solid on the return, Francisco Cerundolo disgusted Lorenzo Musetti and offered Argentina the first point of the Davis Cup quarter-final which pits it against the Italy of Jannik Sinner, title holder, on November 21, 2024 in Malaga of Team Italy during their quarter-final singles match between Italy and Argentina at the Davis Cup Finals at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena arena in Malaga, southern Spain, on November 21, 2024. / Thomas COEX / AFP/Archives
Everything will therefore be decided during the doubles match, which was initially to pit the Italian pair Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori against the Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, according to the team compositions published Thursday afternoon by the organizers.
But the Italian pair was changed at the last minute and will finally bring together Sinner and Matteo Berrettini (35th).
In 2023, then associated with Lorenzo Sonego, Sinner won two doubles matches in the Davis Cup finals, notably beating the Serbs Novak Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic in the semi-finals.
The winner of the Italy-Argentina quarter will face Australia on Saturday for a place in the final. The green and gold selection beat the United States 2-1 earlier in the day.
Italy is looking for a 3rd Davis Cup after its victories in 1976 and 2023, Argentina for its part having only won a Silver Salad Bowl in 2016.
With his back against the wall after Musetti’s defeat, Sinner hardly seemed under pressure against Baez, whom he broke in the 4th game (3-1).
The Argentinian never managed to overcome his handicap but still offered good resistance at the end of the set, Sinner only concluding the first set 6-2 on his sixth set point.
The world No.1 then inflicted a 6-1 on Baez, who only put him in difficulty in the fifth game, where he however did not convert any of his four opportunities to take the throw-in. Italian.
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