Jannik Sinner has capped his breathtaking finish to his banner 2023 season by leading Italy to its first Davis Cup title since 1976 after defeating Australian Alex De Minaur 6-3, 6-0 in Malaga on Sunday night.
The victory earns Italy just their second Davis Cup title after success in 1976 as they continue to reap rewards from their heavy investment in men’s tennis in recent years, while for Australia it was more disappointment after their 2-0 loss to Canada in the final 12 months ago.
After saving three match points to defeat World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Saturday’s semi-finals, Sinner converted the 1-0 lead provided by Matteo Arnaldi’s three-set win over Alexei Popyrin into a championship-clinching result with his crushing victory over De Minaur, whom he now leads 6-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Following the US Open, Sinner won 20 of his last 22 matches of the season, a run that included ATP 500 titles in Beijing and Vienna, and a runner-up finish in the Nitto ATP Finals to Djokovic, whom he beat in an epic three-setter in group play in Turin.
Italy-Army of Potential Superstars
In Sinner, Italy have a potential superstar and it was fitting that it was the 22-year-old, who had won both singles and doubles rubbers in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, was the man to seal it.
Given Australia’s strength in doubles, though, the crucial win may have been Matteo Arnaldi’s in the opening match against Alexei Popyrin.
Earlier in the day Arnaldi gave Italy a 1-0 lead after staring down eight break points in the deciding set against Popyrin.
In contrast to the opportunities missed by Popyrin, the 22-year-old seized the moment when presented with his first match point in the 10th game of the decider to emphatically close out a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 victory in two hours and 27 minutes.
“I didn’t play much in the last few weeks, so I was happy after the first match even if I lost,” Arnaldi said. “Now I have won one of the most important matches in my life.”
Then, less than 24 hours after toppling Novak Djokovic twice in one day, Jannik Sinner again demonstrated nerves of steel as he closed off the best two weeks of his career by dominating Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-0.
De Minaur began the match with an aggressive love service hold, but then scrounged just two more games against an imperious Sinner. Hitting with ferocious power off both wings, the 10-time ATP Tour titlist dominated the baseline exchanges, dictating play with 25 winners to just nine unforced errors.
After a timid start, Sinner soon found his rhythm. He attacked relentlessly off both wings, spraying winners from all parts of the court, and it soon turned into a rout. For all the improvements De Minaur has made this year, the Australian does not have the weapons or the variety to disrupt a dialled-in Sinner’s game. De Minaur’s admirable attempts to take the ball early and attack only played into Sinner’s hands, providing the Italian with the pace he loves to feed off.
“This is a really important win for me and for the whole team and Italy together, no? We felt the pressure,” said Sinner. “We had a lot of responsibility. But still we managed. We stand up for it. We were excited. Obviously, everyone is really happy about the end result.”
“It has been an incredible feeling I think for all of us and obviously we are really happy,” said Sinner.
“We kept together everything and obviously yesterday we went from one point away from being out and now we can celebrate the win. I think we can all be very, very happy.”
Italy fulfilled their potential as one of the most promising tennis nations in the world by defeating Australia 2-0 to become Davis Cup champions for the first time since 1976.
As the Italian team sprinted on to the court to celebrate their title, their victory came with a warning. Sinner and Arnaldi are 22 years old, Lorenzo Musetti is 21 and five other Italians in the top 200 are under 22. On their team bench sat an injured Matteo Berrettini, the former world No 6 and 2021 Wimbledon finalist. There is more to come.