By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, November 17, 2025
Photo: Davis Cup Facebook
Austria won a huge surge before hitting a single shot in this week’s Davis Cup final 8.
The bad news for Austria: They face a huge challenge playing two-time defending champion Italy on their home turf in Bologna in Wednesday’s Davis Cup quarterfinals.
The good news for Austria: World number 2 Jannik Sinner AND No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti have each been withdrawn from the Davis Cup Final 8.
These two absences in the Top 10 fill Austria with hope that it can accomplish an impossible mission.
Key components of victory, he says Austrian captain Jurgen Melzer, The 12th-ranked Austrians must believe in their cause and remember that they only need to be better than Italy for a draw.
“The good thing about weak nations is that you only have to be better one day at a time,” captain Melzer told the media at today’s Davis Cup press conference. “You don’t have to be consistently better than the other team. Any nation can have a bad day, no matter how many or how many players
they have before you.
“In the end, you have to prepare well and you have to believe. There have been so many upsets in the past, even for big nations. I mean, who would have believed that the United States lost at home to the Czech Republic (in Delray Beach in September).
Even without top 10 talents Sinner and Musetti, Italy still boast a formidable squad led by the number 22. Flavio Cobollino, 39 Lorenzo Sonegoformer Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini and an outstanding doubles team i Simone Bolelli AND Andrea Vavassori.
Austria objects with no. 80 Filip MisolicNo. 160 Yuri Rodionov, Luke Neumayer, Lucas Miedler AND Alexander Earler.
Captain Melzer said the game plan is simple: Win one of the singles matches and try to pull off the upset with a doubles victory.
“Even in Hungary, we weren’t the favorite. If I come here to Italy, who knows?” Melzer said. “You win one of the first two singles and you’re in a live doubles match, anything can happen. That’s what we have to look forward to.
“That’s what we have to believe in. Like I said, our team has performed well in the past
four ties. Why not a fifth draw?”
8th schedule of the Davis Cup final
quarter final 1 – France – Belgium
Tuesday 18 November – 16.00 (CET)
quarter final 2 – Italy – Austria
Wednesday 19 November – 16.00 (CET)
quarter FINAL 3 – Spain – Czech Republic
Thursday, November 20 – 10.00 (CET)
quarter final 4 – Argentina – Germany
Thursday, November 20 – 17.00 (CET)
SEMI-FINALS 1 (QF1 v QF2)
Friday 21 November – 16.00 (CET)
SEMIFINAL 2 (QF3 v QF4)
Saturday, November 22 – 12:00 (CET)
finale
Sunday, November 23 – 15.00 (CET)
