- Italy won both singles matches and lifted the trophy for the second time
- Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur both lost their matches
- Italian Jannik Sinner continued his great Davis Cup form
Australian tennis dreams have been shattered again as Lleyton Hewitt’s team succumbed in a second straight Davis Cup final amid heartbreak and another shocking reality check in Malaga.
Italy finally lifted the mammoth trophy for a second time in Sunday’s clash (Monday AEDT) with a 2-0 win amid misery for Alexei Popyrin and disheartening deja vu for his Sydneysider teammate Alex de Minaur.
It was a similar story to last year’s campaign where the team over-performed but were defeated by Canada in the final and were unable to take the tie to their stronghold of a decisive doubles match.
But this loss felt especially disappointing because Popyrin had so many chances to win the opening rubber before suffering an agonizing 7-5 2-6 6-4 defeat to Matteo Arnaldi, who he controlled for much of the final two sets.
Hewitt cut a dejected figure after the loss as his Aussies could not force the draw in the doubles, which is their strong point
Alexei Popyrin is consoled by Hewitt after losing 7-5 2-6 6-4 to Matteo Arnaldi despite having many chances to win the match
De Minaur’s next match pitted him against his youthful nemesis Jannik Sinner, who had defeated the Australian No. 1 all five times they met – and as the tennis world has come to learn, there can only be one winner as a ‘Demon ‘meet a sinner.
The Italian, clearly the man of the week in the Malaga final after winning all five of his rubbers in three draws, including his historic two victories over Serbian great Novak Djokovic in Saturday’s singles and doubles, after which he won six in a row against Minaur, who outclassed him 6-3 6-0.
It marked the end of Australia’s dream of winning their first Davis Cup in two decades since captain Hewitt was still playing in his pomp in Melbourne.
Late replacement Popyrin, who had replaced the injured Thanasi Kokkinakis, dominated the final two sets of his opener but squandered opportunities and was ultimately beaten by Arnaldi.
Ultimately, this battle between the Australian world number 40 and the Italian world number 44 came down to who could hold their nerves better. by the passionate Italian support in the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena.
Popyrin had eight break point opportunities in the final set, but was continually repelled by the stubborn Italian, who only needed a second chance to strike on match point in the decider.
Alex de Minaur (pictured right, with Hewitt) was blown off the field by the in-form Jannik Sinner, who won their match 6-3, 6-0
Sinner lifts the trophy in Malaga – only the second time Italy has won the Davis Cup
The Sydneysider saved one of his worst matches for last, spraying a few forehands long before he could do nothing with a blistering Arnaldi backhand that he could barely get a racket to on match point.
It made Popyrin inconsolable and said it was the worst he had ever felt.
His loss put captain Filippo Volandri’s Italian team in the driver’s seat as they looked to win just their second Davis Cup crown against the 28-time champions after their 1976 victory.
But the 24-year-old couldn’t quite do that, even after recovering from a disappointing first set and largely being in control.
Two breaks put him in a 4-0 stranglehold that he had no intention of letting go and it looked like the Italian would only hold out bravely in the decider.
For De Minaur, however, there was nothing but misery as Sinner’s mastery sent him to a second-set ‘bagel’, a final wayward backhand that ultimately gave the jubilant Italians their only victory since 1976.
For Australia, however, the frustrating wait continues.