Home cookin': Italy defeats U.S. in Davis Cup opener

Jannik Sinner, playing in Indian Wells last month,
crushed John Isner 6-2, 6-0 in 68 minutes today in
Turin, Italy. Photo by Paul Bauman

   The United States had the experience and height, but Italy had the homecourt advantage.

   Lorenzo Sonego and Jannik Sinner, making their Davis Cup debuts, won in straight sets today as Italy defeated the United States 2-1 in a round-robin opener in the Finals in Turin.

  Sonego, playing in his hometown, gave Italy a 1-0 lead with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over 6-foot-11 (2.11-meter) Reilly Opelka.

   Jannik Sinner, ranked No. 10 at age 20, then crushed 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) John Isner 6-2, 6-0 in 68 minutes to clinch the overall win.

   All but Sonego played in Northern California Challengers early in their careers.

   Rajeev Ram and Jack Sock defeated Fabio Fognini and Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (5), 6-2. Ram and Musetti made their Davis Cup debuts at 37 and 19, respectively.

   Meanwhile, Serbia and defending (2019) champion Spain won 3-0. Serbia's Novak Djokovic dominated Austria's Dennis Novak 6-3, 6-2 in 58 minutes in Innsbruck. Spain, playing without Rafael Nadal, overwhelmed Ecuador in Madrid.

   World TeamTennis — The Springfield (Mo.) Lasers, with San Francisco Bay Area product Giuliana Olmos, beat the San Diego Aviators 23-16 in Indian Wells, Calif., to clinch the regular-season crown.

   As the top seed in the WTT Finals on Sunday at 3 p.m. (Tennis Channel) in Indian Wells, Springfield (8-3) will choose the order of play against the second-place Orange County Breakers (7-4). The Lasers seek their third WTT title in four years.