Sonego downs Tiafoe to give Italy a 1-0 lead of the US

Lorenzo Sonego played a fabulous match to down Frances Tiafoe in two sets giving his country a valuable 1-0 lead over the US.

This is a very tough matchup for Italy as they are underdogs in all of the matches. Their best chance to win was probably in the doubles where Bolleli and Fognini can do a lot of damage on their best day. Due to that, this win of Sonego is incredibly valuable.

Sonego is a very streaky player, quite similar to Tiafoe and he had a far better day today than the American. The match started well for both with serves dominating and not many chances on either side. Sonego got one midway through and used it to take a break.

It proved enough for the first set as he cruised to the finish line 6-3 saving a break point along the way as well. The second set was another close one with both players having their moments but neither being able to break through.

We ended up in a tiebreak with Tiafoe up 3-1 early but Sonego bounced back to take the lead. Tiafoe saved match points down 4-6 but in the end, it was Sonego whose more aggressive player proved crucial in the end.