TENNIS: End of the year/Davis Cup
Nov. 24th, 2025 07:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllI’ve been keeping an eye on results although I haven’t posted about them this autumn. Rybakina played so well at the end of the year that she got herself into the WTA finals, as did Auger-Aliasseme and Musetti into the ATP equivalent, although injuries and retirements were also a factor. But at Riyadh (tennis has definitely been a part of Saudia Arabia’s sportswashing, see also the Six Kings exhibition and the news they’re getting a new Masters tournament, which is just what the overlong schedule needs), Rybakina and Anisimova made clear that they belonged in the top tier, with Rybakina blasting through all her opponents, the last being Sabalenka, to win her second best tournament result ever after Wimbledon, and setting down a marker for 2026. Sabalenka was crowned world no. 1, having been consistently the best player on the women’s tour this year, although we’d had four different Grand Slam champions.
At Turin, where the ATP finals were held, Alcaraz and Sinner backed up what’s been true all year, namely that they’re a cut above the rest and their rivalry is thriving. Neither Fritz nor Zverev made it out of the group stages. Alcaraz got himself to world no. 1 at the end of the year for the second time in his career, having won more tournaments (and not been suspended for three months), but Sinner underlined his superiority indoors, even if Alcaraz did better than he ever had before at the ATP finals and it was in two close sets.
What a year it’s been for them, underlining what was true of 2024, namely that they divvied up the Grand Slams between them. That’s two years now. But, especially after Sinner returned to tennis in Rome, or more specifically after their first head-to-head grand slam final in Paris, which was probably the match of the year, the rivalry has reached a new level, with, so far, every win getting a fierce response from the defeated. Alcaraz nicked the French, so Sinner went on the attack and won Wimbledon for the first time from the double defending champion. Cincinnati didn’t tell us much because Sinner was sick, but at the US Open, Alcaraz had focused and produced his own version of rushing the net that Sinner couldn’t respond to. But he was plotting how from the press conference. Both won different tournaments in Asia, but Sinner got to put some of his adjustments into play at Turin (where Alcaraz may have been compromised by injury). And Alcaraz is the only player who consistently beats Sinner these days, while Alcaraz’s lower level is lower and his higher level higher than Sinner’s. Roll on 2026.
Thanks to the Tennis Channel (which mainly seems to be show Challenger events), I could watch Davis Cup matches. They call this the finals week, with eight teams starting in the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, I saw a bit of France vs Belgium, the unique Moutet versus the unknown-to-me Collignon. But I cut out before the ending, never mind how entertaining Monsieur under-arm-serves and preposterous drop-shots’s play is. (Apparently he lost, and Belgium won the tie. Surprising, even though France's best players weren't there.)
I then got a chance to see Berrettini play for Italy against an Austrian (Rodinov?). I started watching after an enforced break, something to do with the lights, and Berrettini wasn’t quite clicking, although he’d been in the lead, but then he found his serve and his mojo. Italy won the tie.
I saw bits of Spain’s tie against Czechia. Spain were playing without their two best players, as Alcaraz was injured and Davydovic-Fokina…wasn’t. Mensic won the first rubber, but Munar outplayed Lehecka to win his first singles match at the Davis Cup, and the doubles decided it in Spain’s favour.
Apparently it took an epic late tiebreak in the doubles to decide the last quarter finals, with Germany beating Argentina.
Semi-finals: Berrettini against Collignon, and Berrettini came out fired up. His serve and forehand were working well, but so was his backhand slice, to which his opponent had no answers in the first set, and with two double faults in his opening service game, handed him a break in the second. There was a bit of a wobble when Berrettini failed to convert a second break, and then got broken himself, but there was one point that was a clear pivot point and the momentum swung back to the Italian, who was back playing tennis that made the commentators wonder if he was the best current no. 2 player (in a team without its two highest ranked players. Actually, if his captain had followed the rankings, he shouldn’t have been picked.) Admittedly, injury has played a big part in his ranking this year, and Italy have home advantage too as they’re playing in Bologna.
Next came the two ‘No. 1s’, with Belgian Bergs able to comfort himself that he’d beaten the higher ranked Cobolli at their last Davis Cup meeting. But Cobolli took advantage to break in the first and won it. However, Bergs stayed professional and served better, earning a tiebreak in the second set and winning it. I have to admit I fastforwarded through the third set, where Cobolli couldn’t convert match points (I think), until it got to another tiebreak, and it was quite the tiebreak, one of those created by it being a Davis Cup match. I think both players saved at least five match points each, (Cobolli saved seven in total), playing surprisingly well as the tiebreak took the match past the three-hour mark, with the emotion making it particularly tiring. And Cobolli won! Meaning Italy were through to the final for the third year running, this time on home soil, without their top player, who is truly a top player.
I only watched the end of the sets in the singles match in the second semi, where Carreno Busta returned his way into getting to play the match on his terms, beating Struff in two, although the second set was won on a tiebreak where he was substantially behind. Munar did really well to stay close to Zverev, who won in two sets (and said that he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent in the post match interview.)
So, it was down to the doubles, with the Spaniards fielding a double Grand Slam winner in Granollers, and the Germans fielding a strong, established team. The Spaniards came out the stronger force, going up with a double break, but the Germans did start winning their service games, so it wasn’t a surprise that they won the second. Because I’d been catching up and the tie ran on, I was forced to skip ahead in the third set, and the Spaniards had a lead. Granollers was forced to serve well, which he did, and the Spaniards, fielding a team of four, not five, because of Alcaraz’s late withdrawal due to injury, were through to the final.
It is funny that it’s Spain vs Italy without Alcaraz and Sinner. I think the Italians have the stronger singles players (they haven’t required their doubles team this week) and home advantage, but it’s Davis Cup tennis, so it might not be straightforward.
Finals day: I watched the first match between Berrettini and Carreno Busta live, with both men having suffered injuries recently. Berrettini was serving first, but Carreno Busta was holding his own until he played three really poor points towards the end of the set. Berrettini kept his level and was able to take advantage, and of course, his serve was so much the better, so he won the first.
Carreno Busta was able to squeak through his first service game and was doing all right with the advantage of serving first until, again, the pressure of the situation made him falter, and Berrettini, roared on by the home crowd, had enough weapons to repeat the break, and one strong service game later, had won.
On to the next match, which I couldn’t watch live: would Cobolli be fatigued after all his efforts in the semi? Munar could take heart from the fact that the last time they’d played, he’d won, but he was playing an Italian with one point won and a partisan crowd.
As things turned out, I had to catch up on the second singles match knowing the results, so there was a lot of fastforwarding. Munar started playing well, Cobolli nervously, and as the Spaniard played near his best, Cobolli was shut out. The first set was 6-1.
Cobolli then got broken at the start of the second set, but finally broke back after a break of nearly 10 minutes at an awkward point for Munar after a spectator fell ill. Cobolli was finally in the match, and it was a match of much longer rallies than the previous one. Munar got the crowd on his back by reacting foolishly to a point where Cobolli kept making incredible gets (both are good movers, but Cobolli is perhaps faster) that he won. That’s an Italian crowd at a Davis Cup final. It went to a tiebreak and Cobolli just elevated. There were two back-to-back points that went to 25+ shots, honours even. But Cobolli’s forehand, particularly the ’off forehand’ and smashes told. One set all.
I think both served well in the third, because I didn’t have to fastforward long to get to the end of the set. Munar got tight, Cobolli…did not and broke at a handy point. His captain told him to calm down and focus, which he did, getting his country a third victory at home, without their two best players, without needing to bother their doubles pair. It’s the first time that any country has won a triple since decades, and the tournament and the game have changed beyond all recognition since then. Italy are also the BJK Cup champions and one can only compliment their federation and set-up.
Hopefully, Berrettini can stay healthy, because at his best he’s a really good player. This ought to be a platform for 23 year old Cobolli, (I think comparisons with Sinner in 2023 are a bit of a stretch, but getting a higher ranking and repeating and improving on his Wimbledon performance should be realistic goals.) Spain should take heart from doing so well, but you’ve got to make Italy favourites for next year already. This was a good week of tennis, and I’m not just saying that because I was able to watch a lot of it.
At Turin, where the ATP finals were held, Alcaraz and Sinner backed up what’s been true all year, namely that they’re a cut above the rest and their rivalry is thriving. Neither Fritz nor Zverev made it out of the group stages. Alcaraz got himself to world no. 1 at the end of the year for the second time in his career, having won more tournaments (and not been suspended for three months), but Sinner underlined his superiority indoors, even if Alcaraz did better than he ever had before at the ATP finals and it was in two close sets.
What a year it’s been for them, underlining what was true of 2024, namely that they divvied up the Grand Slams between them. That’s two years now. But, especially after Sinner returned to tennis in Rome, or more specifically after their first head-to-head grand slam final in Paris, which was probably the match of the year, the rivalry has reached a new level, with, so far, every win getting a fierce response from the defeated. Alcaraz nicked the French, so Sinner went on the attack and won Wimbledon for the first time from the double defending champion. Cincinnati didn’t tell us much because Sinner was sick, but at the US Open, Alcaraz had focused and produced his own version of rushing the net that Sinner couldn’t respond to. But he was plotting how from the press conference. Both won different tournaments in Asia, but Sinner got to put some of his adjustments into play at Turin (where Alcaraz may have been compromised by injury). And Alcaraz is the only player who consistently beats Sinner these days, while Alcaraz’s lower level is lower and his higher level higher than Sinner’s. Roll on 2026.
Thanks to the Tennis Channel (which mainly seems to be show Challenger events), I could watch Davis Cup matches. They call this the finals week, with eight teams starting in the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, I saw a bit of France vs Belgium, the unique Moutet versus the unknown-to-me Collignon. But I cut out before the ending, never mind how entertaining Monsieur under-arm-serves and preposterous drop-shots’s play is. (Apparently he lost, and Belgium won the tie. Surprising, even though France's best players weren't there.)
I then got a chance to see Berrettini play for Italy against an Austrian (Rodinov?). I started watching after an enforced break, something to do with the lights, and Berrettini wasn’t quite clicking, although he’d been in the lead, but then he found his serve and his mojo. Italy won the tie.
I saw bits of Spain’s tie against Czechia. Spain were playing without their two best players, as Alcaraz was injured and Davydovic-Fokina…wasn’t. Mensic won the first rubber, but Munar outplayed Lehecka to win his first singles match at the Davis Cup, and the doubles decided it in Spain’s favour.
Apparently it took an epic late tiebreak in the doubles to decide the last quarter finals, with Germany beating Argentina.
Semi-finals: Berrettini against Collignon, and Berrettini came out fired up. His serve and forehand were working well, but so was his backhand slice, to which his opponent had no answers in the first set, and with two double faults in his opening service game, handed him a break in the second. There was a bit of a wobble when Berrettini failed to convert a second break, and then got broken himself, but there was one point that was a clear pivot point and the momentum swung back to the Italian, who was back playing tennis that made the commentators wonder if he was the best current no. 2 player (in a team without its two highest ranked players. Actually, if his captain had followed the rankings, he shouldn’t have been picked.) Admittedly, injury has played a big part in his ranking this year, and Italy have home advantage too as they’re playing in Bologna.
Next came the two ‘No. 1s’, with Belgian Bergs able to comfort himself that he’d beaten the higher ranked Cobolli at their last Davis Cup meeting. But Cobolli took advantage to break in the first and won it. However, Bergs stayed professional and served better, earning a tiebreak in the second set and winning it. I have to admit I fastforwarded through the third set, where Cobolli couldn’t convert match points (I think), until it got to another tiebreak, and it was quite the tiebreak, one of those created by it being a Davis Cup match. I think both players saved at least five match points each, (Cobolli saved seven in total), playing surprisingly well as the tiebreak took the match past the three-hour mark, with the emotion making it particularly tiring. And Cobolli won! Meaning Italy were through to the final for the third year running, this time on home soil, without their top player, who is truly a top player.
I only watched the end of the sets in the singles match in the second semi, where Carreno Busta returned his way into getting to play the match on his terms, beating Struff in two, although the second set was won on a tiebreak where he was substantially behind. Munar did really well to stay close to Zverev, who won in two sets (and said that he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent in the post match interview.)
So, it was down to the doubles, with the Spaniards fielding a double Grand Slam winner in Granollers, and the Germans fielding a strong, established team. The Spaniards came out the stronger force, going up with a double break, but the Germans did start winning their service games, so it wasn’t a surprise that they won the second. Because I’d been catching up and the tie ran on, I was forced to skip ahead in the third set, and the Spaniards had a lead. Granollers was forced to serve well, which he did, and the Spaniards, fielding a team of four, not five, because of Alcaraz’s late withdrawal due to injury, were through to the final.
It is funny that it’s Spain vs Italy without Alcaraz and Sinner. I think the Italians have the stronger singles players (they haven’t required their doubles team this week) and home advantage, but it’s Davis Cup tennis, so it might not be straightforward.
Finals day: I watched the first match between Berrettini and Carreno Busta live, with both men having suffered injuries recently. Berrettini was serving first, but Carreno Busta was holding his own until he played three really poor points towards the end of the set. Berrettini kept his level and was able to take advantage, and of course, his serve was so much the better, so he won the first.
Carreno Busta was able to squeak through his first service game and was doing all right with the advantage of serving first until, again, the pressure of the situation made him falter, and Berrettini, roared on by the home crowd, had enough weapons to repeat the break, and one strong service game later, had won.
On to the next match, which I couldn’t watch live: would Cobolli be fatigued after all his efforts in the semi? Munar could take heart from the fact that the last time they’d played, he’d won, but he was playing an Italian with one point won and a partisan crowd.
As things turned out, I had to catch up on the second singles match knowing the results, so there was a lot of fastforwarding. Munar started playing well, Cobolli nervously, and as the Spaniard played near his best, Cobolli was shut out. The first set was 6-1.
Cobolli then got broken at the start of the second set, but finally broke back after a break of nearly 10 minutes at an awkward point for Munar after a spectator fell ill. Cobolli was finally in the match, and it was a match of much longer rallies than the previous one. Munar got the crowd on his back by reacting foolishly to a point where Cobolli kept making incredible gets (both are good movers, but Cobolli is perhaps faster) that he won. That’s an Italian crowd at a Davis Cup final. It went to a tiebreak and Cobolli just elevated. There were two back-to-back points that went to 25+ shots, honours even. But Cobolli’s forehand, particularly the ’off forehand’ and smashes told. One set all.
I think both served well in the third, because I didn’t have to fastforward long to get to the end of the set. Munar got tight, Cobolli…did not and broke at a handy point. His captain told him to calm down and focus, which he did, getting his country a third victory at home, without their two best players, without needing to bother their doubles pair. It’s the first time that any country has won a triple since decades, and the tournament and the game have changed beyond all recognition since then. Italy are also the BJK Cup champions and one can only compliment their federation and set-up.
Hopefully, Berrettini can stay healthy, because at his best he’s a really good player. This ought to be a platform for 23 year old Cobolli, (I think comparisons with Sinner in 2023 are a bit of a stretch, but getting a higher ranking and repeating and improving on his Wimbledon performance should be realistic goals.) Spain should take heart from doing so well, but you’ve got to make Italy favourites for next year already. This was a good week of tennis, and I’m not just saying that because I was able to watch a lot of it.
