Davis Cup: Nervous Sonego puts Italy 1-0 ahead
Lorenzo Sonego gave Italy a 1-0 lead over Canada in the Davis Cup semifinals. Sonego defeated Denis Shapovalov 7:6 (4), 6:7 (5) and 6:4.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Nov 26, 2022, 04:46 pm
The starting position seems clear: if Italy wanted to have a chance against Canada, then Lorenzo Sonego had to win against Denis Shapovalov. Because Félix Auger-Aliassime is clearly the favorite in the second single against Lorenzo Musetti. And Sonego delivered, putting his team ahead after a playing time of 3:14 hours and a 7:6 (4), 6:7 (5) and 6:4. As against Jan-Lennard Struff, Shapovalov helped with a few double errors, including match point.
Sonego fended off four set balls in the second set, then seemed to be on the way to a two-set win with a score of 5: 2 in the tie-break. But Shapovalov came back and still had a few chances at the beginning of the third act.
Somewhat surprisingly, Australia awaits in tomorrow's final, having beaten Croatia 2-1 on Friday. Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson defeated the favored couple Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the decisive doubles.