For the second time in just 12 days, the Italian golden boy Sinner defeated the great Djokovic - and did so in the most outlandish fashion, saving three match points on the way to an epic 6-2 2-6 7-5 victory that levelled the tie at 1-1, taking it into a doubles decider.
In one of the most eagerly awaited Davis Cup rubbers for years on Saturday (Sunday AEDT), world No.1 Djokovic and No.4 Sinner were locked in their third brilliant duel in less than a fortnight, with the Serb having won their showdown conclusively in the ATP Finals only six days earlier.
Novak Djokovic looked on his way to victory until Sinner's remarkable recovery. (AP PHOTO)
But this was the perfect time for the Sinner of the Turin group stages to re-emerge, the young titan reprising his victory of 12 days earlier when he became the only man since Djokovic's Wimbledon final loss to Carlos Alcaraz to defeat the 24-time grand slam champion. Â
This time he did something even more astonishing, with the Italians looking nailed on for a 2-0 defeat after the in-form Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic had gradually worn down Lorenzo Musetti 6-7 (7-9) 6-2 6-1 in the opening rubber.
Only three times in his career has Djokovic lost from match point up - and there looked no way back for Sinner when, after soaking up immense pressure throughout the deciding set, he stared at 0-40 on his serve at 4-5.
Yet the 22-year-old proved absolutely nerveless, firing down an ace to save the third of the three match points, and then immediately turned the tables by breaking Djokovic in the very next game amid wild Italian celebrations in the stands at the Palacio de deportes Martin Carpena.
Sinner saves three match points to stay in the match 🤩— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) #DavisCupFinals | @federtennis | @janniksin pic.twitter.com/2e8NEmTnaANovember 25, 2023
Sinner then served out for a famous win, ending Djokovic's cherished unbeaten 21-singles winning streak in the Davis Cup and becoming the first man since 2019 to beat the Serb twice in the same year.
And the drama between the two rivals wasn't over, as the two teams both drafted in their top singles players into the doubles decider - with Djokovic to play alongside Kecmanovic against Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego. Â Â Â
The beneficiaries of all this? Lleyton Hewitt's Australian side, who were happily enjoying a day's rest before Sunday's (Monday AEDT) final after their 2-0 win over Finland the previous day.Â
Now they could enjoy the sight of both teams' key singles men being locked in an energy-sapping, nerve-shredding semi-final on the eve of the final.
