Australia's dream of appearing in a third-straight Davis Cup final came to an end early Sunday morning, after the team was downed by Italy in the semifinals.
Thanasi Kokkinakis was outlasted by Matteo Berrettini in a three-set thriller, while top-ranked Aussie Alex de Minaur was cleaned up in straight sets by Jannik Sinner, the reigning World No. 1
This loss not only broke the Australian's finals streak but also ended their pursuit of their first title since 2003.
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Australia falls to Italy in Davis Cup semifinal
Australia had their work cut out for them in a rematch of last year's Davis Cup final, when they lost to the Italians.
This year, it was Berrettini and Sinner blocking the path of Kokkinakis and de Minaur, in an effort that coach Lleyton Hewitt called particularly difficult, in what was for all intents and purposes a home crowd for the eventual winners.
“It’s bloody tough for all the boys," Hewitt said after the contest.
"They put in a lot of effort to give themselves a chance to be here and come so close again.
"But yeah, (I am) super proud of the guys and the effort again that they brought and put in for the whole team.
"Once again, we find ourselves so far from home, aren’t we?
"It would be great if our bid to host the finals could be taken seriously. Australia can certainly deliver a brilliant event."
Kokkinakis agreed with his coach's sentiments, after pushing Berrettini to the brink in his match.
"It felt like an away game for us," he said.
"We were in Spain, but the energy was overwhelmingly Italian.
"[Berrettini] served incredible. 89 per cent [first serve] in the third set, didn’t give me much of a chance to look in.
"Yeah, I’m flat. You always feel like you’ve let the team down a little bit, but at the same time, I gave it my all."
De Minaur was also muted following a top-10 match-up with Sinner, in which the Australian failed to find any sort of rhythm.
"His ball speed, his consistency feels like there’s no real letdown of focus throughout the whole match," De Minaur said.
"So, if you want to go out and beat him, you’ve got to go out and play some of your best tennis. Especially in those big points, you need to step up."
Italy will now face the Netherlands in the tournament's final match.
