Davis Cup Draw: Italy Gets Korea, Spain Only in the Final

The draw for the Davis Cup Final 8, held in Bologna in the presence of FITP president Angelo Binaghi, paired Italy with South Korea in the quarterfinals. The Final 8 is played from November 24 to 29; the Italians take the court on the 25th. The other three quarterfinals pit Czech Republic against Canada, Great Britain against Germany, Spain against Austria.

Italy and Spain landed in opposite halves of the draw, so they can only meet on Sunday, November 29, in the final. Before that, in the semifinals, Italy, the three-time defending champion, would face the winner of Czech Republic-Canada: the Czechs eliminated the United States 3-2, Canada beat France 3-1.

South Korea arrives in Bologna as the first Asian nation to reach the Final 8. In Seoul it beat India 3-1, after beating Argentina 3-2 at home in February. It's led by Soonwoo Kwon, world No. 52 in November 2021 and now outside the top 150, and Hyeon Chung, a 2018 Australian Open semifinalist with wins over Djokovic and Zverev. In the three previous meetings with Italy, the Koreans have always lost: 4-0 in Cagliari in 2020, 3-2 in Seoul in 1987, 4-1 in Sanremo in 1981.

On paper, the draw pushes the real test further down the road. The opening round looks manageable; the real test comes in the semifinal, where the two teams that came through the qualifiers have already shown they can win when it matters. Italy is chasing a fourth straight title on home indoor hard courts, and to get there it will have to win three ties in five days, from the quarterfinal on November 25 to the final on the 29th.