Italy kicked off their Davis Cup Finals group stage campaign with a 2-1 win over Brazil at the Unipol Arena in Bologna on Wednesday.
Back-to-back singles wins secured the victory for the host nation who are seeking to win the tournament for a second year running. With recently crowned US Open champion Jannik Sinner absent, hopes were rested on Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi. Berrettini kicked off the tie with a 6-1, 7-6(5), win over Joao Fonseca before Arnaldi battled past Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), after more than three-and-a-hlaf hours of play.
The only win for Brazil occurred in the doubles when the South American duo of Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo ousted Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-7(3), 7-6(6), 7-5.
Following their victory, team Italy spoke to the media about their latest tie with Arnaldi shedding light on an injury he suffered during his match. Later this week they will take on Belgium and the Netherlands.
