TURIN, Italy (AP) — Borna Gojo gave Croatia an early lead over Italy on Monday in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, beating Lorenzo Sonego 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-2 in the opening match of the best-of-three series.
U.S. Open champion Marin Čilić will next face 20-year-old Jannik Sinner.
"We knew we had to try to get one point from two singles," Gojo said. "We're confident in doubles."
Played in three cities, each matchup on indoor hard courts is a best-of-three series featuring two singles and one doubles match.
Gojo, who is 252 places below the 27th-ranked Sonego, trailed 4-1 in the opening set before forcing the tiebreak. Sonego rallied in the second set but continued to make errors in the third, including wasting three break points in the seventh game.
