Belgium Stuns France to Reach the Davis Cup Semifinals in Bologna
19 November 2025
Belgium advances to the Davis Cup semifinals
Belgium booked its place in the Davis Cup semifinals on Tuesday in Bologna after beating France 2-0, thanks to wins by Rafael Colynion and Zizou Bergs.
In the opening match, the 86th-ranked ATP player Colynion defeated Corentin Moutet (2-6, 7-5, 7-5) to put his country ahead. Bergs then defeated Arthur Rinderknech (6-3, 7-6) to push Belgium into a commanding 2-0 lead.
Bergs recovered after failing to close out the match at 5-3, sealing a tiebreak in the second set after 1 hour 34 minutes. Belgium had reached the quarterfinals with a 3-2 away win in Australia in September.
France and Belgium renewed their rivalry in the Davis Cup, a clash dating back 121 years, and it was the first time the sides met in the last eight since 2019.
Quarterfinal outlook and injuries
The 10th meeting between France and Belgium narrowed the head-to-head to 6-4 in favor of France. Since 2017, France had won 4 of the last meetings, including the 2017 final 3-2 to claim its 10th title. Since 2017 France beat Belgium 2-1 in the 2022 group stage in Hamburg.
Belgium will face either two-time defending champion Italy or Austria in the semifinal on Friday. Belgium has finished runners-up in 2015 and 2017; this year's final is scheduled for Sunday.
In the other quarterfinals, Spain vs Czech and Germany vs Argentina loom.
Alcaraz withdraws from Spain-Czech quarterfinal
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the quarterfinal against the Czech Republic in Bologna on Thursday due to a right hamstring injury. The world No. 1 needed a medical timeout to address his leg; he arrived in Italy Monday, but after tests withdrew and returned home. He posted on X: "Sorry I won't be able to play in Davis Cup in Bologna. I have a right hamstring injury and the medical advice is not to compete. Playing for Spain has always been the greatest thing, and I was really looking forward to helping in the fight for the trophy. I’ll head home in pain."
The Spanish team, led by captain David Ferrer, included Jaume Munar, Pedro Martínez, and Pablo Carreño Busta. They will face the Czech Republic, led by Jiří Lehečka and Jakub Mensík, on Thursday, with the winner advancing to face Argentina or Germany in the semifinals.
Alcaraz finished 2025 with 71 wins, the season's top mark, eight titles, and shared four majors with Sinner; he led 10-6 in their head-to-head this year after winning four of the six finals they played in 2025.
Record and TV audience
The Sunday final between Sinner and Alcaraz was Italy’s most-watched indoor tennis broadcast in history, with over 6.7 million viewers on traditional TV and 7.008 million overall across all platforms. Sinner won 7-6, 7-5 to defend his title in Turin, surpassing the previous national record of 6.6 million set during Djokovic-Djokovic 2023 final. The matchup underscores rising Italian tennis interest, aided by stars like Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli, and Luciano Darderi, and underscores the ongoing rivalry between the world No. 1 and No. 2 in 2025.
