
Davis Cup Finals 2021: Monday's Quarterfinals Scores, Updated Bracket
Croatia became the first team to reach the semifinal of the 2021 Davis Cup after a 2-1 win over Italy.
Both teams reached the knockout stage after sweeping through their first two ties in the group stage of the Davis Cup final in Turin, Italy. Croatia won five of six matches against Australia and Hungary while Italy cruised against the United States and Colombia.
It set up the first quarterfinal of the knockout stage, which went to Croatia thanks to wins from Borna Gojo and the pairing of Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.
Croatia 2, Italy 1
Borna Gojo def. Lorenzo Sonego, 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-2
Jannik Sinner def. Marin Cilic, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3
Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic def. Fabio Fognini/Jannik Sinner, 6-3, 6-4
Quarterfinal Matchups
Croatia def. Italy, 2-1
Great Britain vs. Germany (Tuesday)
Serbia vs. Kazakhstan (Wednesday)
Russia vs. Sweden (Thursday)
Full bracket available at DavisCupFinals.com.
Monday Recap
Entering the day, it seemed Croatia had an advantage in doubles with Mektic and Pavic as the top ranked duo in the world, although Italy was better on paper in singles.
That didn't seem to matter when the matches began as Gojo, the No. 279 player in the world ranking, shocked No. 27 ranked Lorenzo Sonego.
Gojo showed no fear with impressive winners throughout the match:
Even with five double faults in the match, the 23-year-old came through in important moments, including a first-set tiebreak.
After dropping the second set, Gojo bounced back with a dominant 6-2 third set to clinch the surprising win.
It created a must-win scenario for Jannik Sinner against veteran Marin Cilic.
Sinner delivered in comeback fashion during a thrilling three-set match. It appeared as if Cilic would cruise to a straightforward victory when he won the first set 6-3, but Sinner emerged from a tiebreak in the second set and coasted with a 6-3 win in the decisive set.
Cilic enjoyed a 10-2 advantage in aces and seemed to control the match for extended stretches, but the winner used timely breaks and kept Italy alive.
Italy looked to keep Sinner's momentum rolling by pairing him with Fabio Fognini in the tie-breaking doubles match, but Croatia's advantage on paper came to fruition.
Mektic and Pavic won in straight sets and sent their country into the semifinals for a date against the winner of the match between Serbia and Kazakhstan.

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