Davis Cup | Italy register 3-1 win against India to secure spot in World Finals

India entered the second day of their tie against Italy trailing by a score of 2-0 against their higher-ranked opponents in Kolkata on Saturday. The Indian team managed to win in the doubles category to save some blushes for the home team.

Andrea Seppi, the Italian captain, led from the front as he helped the visitors secure a spot in the World Finals which will be held in November this year. India’s top doubles pair of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan kept India's slender hopes alive as they beat Simone Boelleli and Matteo Berrettini 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a one-hour 43 minute-battle at the start of the day.

However, World number 37 Andreas Seppi outclassed top-ranked Indian Prajnesh Gunneswaran 6-1, 6-4 in 62 minutes in the first reverse singles to prevent the need to play the fifth buffer at the Calcutta South Club.

India’s non-playing captain, Mahesh Bhupathi, termed the loss as ‘frustrating’ as he added that the home team need to conduct a reality check and see where they stand on the global stage. All of us had a belief but we needed to win a point yesterday. It was a monumental task to win back from 0-2 down.

"We need to come into the real world. Once the Madrid list (of 12 nations) is out, I want you to see if they have any player outside top-100. Of course, we were dying to go to Madrid. But you can't expect miracles," Bhupathi told PTI reporters.

The win over India took Italy’s tally to 5-1 against their Asian counterparts with India having last defeated the Europeans in 1985. Italy will be one of the 12 qualifiers to join 2018 champions Croatia, runners-up France, and semi-finalists Spain and USA in the Finals to be held in Madrid in November.