Davis Cup Finals 2024: Italy VS Australia ft. Jannik Sinner vs Alex de Minaur preview, prediction, and choice

In the doubles, the duo of Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli played all three ties. They only won their tie against the Belgian pair of Sander Gille and Joran Viligen. They lost to the Brazilian pair of Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo, and the Dutch pair of Wesley Koolhof and Botic Van de Zandschulp.

In the knockouts stage, Italy squared off against Argentina in the quarterfinals. In the first singles, Francisco Cerundolo of the Argentine team got the better of Lorenzo Musetti, winning 6-4, 6-1.

In the second match, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner took the court for Italy and hammered Sebastian Baez, winning 6-2, 6-1. Later, Sinner teamed up with Matteo Berrettini and won the doubles against Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, winning 6-4, 7-5.

Australia came second in their group as they won their ties against France and the Czech Republic, but lost to Spain. In singles, the most successful player for them was Thanasi Kokkinakis, who won his ties against Arthur Fils, and Jakub Mensik. Alexei Popyrin was the other singles player won won his final match against Pedro Martinez.

Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson played all three doubles ties for Australia in the group stages. They won against Pierre Hughes-Herbert and Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France), and Jakub Mensik and Adama Pavlasek (Czech Republic). The duo, however, lost to the Spanish pair of Carlos Alacaraz and Marcel Granollers.

Australia faced off against the USA in the quarterfinals, the most successful team in Davis Cup history. In the first singles, Thanasi Kokkinakis played a great match against Ben Shelton, winning 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (14). However, the United States bounced back as Taylor Fritz defeated Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 to keep their semifinal hopes alive.

Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson won the deciding doubles match against Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-4, advancing Australia to the semifinals for the third straight year.

Australia leads the overall head-to-head 8-5 versus Italy, however the latter won the previous time they played in the Davis Cup.

Let’s look at some of the likely pairings for the upcoming semifinal tie (subject to change).

1. Jannik Sinner vs Alex de Minaur

Jannik Sinner entered the Davis Cup with a phenomenal 70-6 win/loss record behind him for the season and 8 titles. The Italian has been in tremendous form this year, ascending to No. 1 on the ATP rankings and securing the ranking till the end of the year.

Alex de Minaur entered the Davis Cup with a 47-19 record. The Australian reached three finals in the season, winning two titles.

De Minaur is yer to win against Jannik Sinner as the Italian has an 8-0 head-to-head against him. The two recently met at the ATP Finals in Turin, with Sinner registering a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win.

2. Matteo Berrettini vs Alexei Popyrin

Berrettini has a 30-12 record in 2024 thus far. Following his return from injury, the Italian has risen to 35th place. The former world number six has won three titles this season, all on clay.

Alexei Popyrin has had a breakthrough year in 2024. The Australian won his first big title, winning the Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open, He also notched up a marquee victory against Novak Djokovic at the US Open.

Berrtteini has a 2-1 lead over Popyrin in the head-to-head, but the Australian won their most recent encounter at the indoor hard courts of the Paris Masters. This gives him a slight advantage in the upcoming tie.

3. Jannik Sinner/ Matteo Berrettini vs Matthew Ebden/ Jordan Thompson

Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini are not a set doubles team, but they did win the tie-deciding doubles against Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul in the quarterfinal against the USA team.

On the other hand, Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson are a more established doubles duo. Both have won major doubles titles this year. While Ebden won the Australian Open and Olympic gold, Thompson won the US Open.

Being the more set team, the Australian pair will be the favorite going in this match against the Italian team.

Italy vs Australia odds

Italy vs Australia prediction

Given Jannik Sinner’s form and record against de Minaur, the Italians may have an advantage in this Davis Cup clash. However, Popyrin can upset Berrettini on an indoor hard court and force the tie to a doubles decider.

If the match gets to doubles, Australia will have the advantage since Ebden-Thompson is a more greater doubles partnership than the Italian combo of Berrttini and Sinner. As a result, the singles tie without Jannik Sinner could be crucial, as if Italy wants to reach the Davis Cup final again, they may need to win the tie in the first two sets.

Pick– Australia to win 2-1