BOLOGNA/WASHINGTON, November 18, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)
France faced Belgium for the 10th time as the Davis Cup Final 8 got underway Tuesday in Bologna, Italy. While it’s been 121 years since France played Belgium in their first Davis Cup meeting in 1904 – a contest won by Belgium 3-2 – it’s arguable that there’s never been a tie that started out so unpredictably in favor of one team only to see a shift in momentum that enabled the other team to rally and, ultimately, triumph. But that’s what happened between France and Belgium this time – and, like that 1904 meeting long ago, the Belgians won this time, too.
While a lot has changed about the sport of tennis, this well-established rivalry among Western European nations has remained a lively one. It was on display inside the SuperTennis Arena, where there were plenty of fans cheering for both teams. France arrived as a quarterfinalist for the first time since 2018, when they finished runner-up to Croatia. They were bidding to win their first title since 2017 and 11th overall. Belgium also reached the quarterfinals for the first time in seven years. They’ve been a three-time finalist – most recently in 2017, losing to France in the final – and it’s something the Belgians wanted nothing better than to settle an old score.
Zizou Bergs (photo: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images for ITF)
Fast forward to now, after eight additional meetings since their first one, France put a four-tie winning streak – and a 6-3 head-to-head advantage – on the line against a young Belgium team with only one player, No. 43 Zizou Bergs, ranked in the ATP Top 50.
However, by the end of tie, it was Belgium who prevailed 2-0 over France. The Belgians won the quarterfinal tie during singles, in back of Bergs, who gained the tie-clinching point over No. 29 Arthur Rinderknech, after 86th-ranked Raphael Collignon tamed No. 35 Corentin Moutet, the mercurial and bearded jester of trick shots – both magical and farcical.
First, Collignon persevered through a stressful three-setter to beat Moutet, 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 in two hours and 33 minutes. It was the third-straight win by Collignon in Davis Cup play. Then, Bergs showed great clarity in defeating Rinderknech, 6-3, 7-6 (4), in one hour and 33 minutes. Together, it added up to a satisfying quarterfinal triumph for the Belgians, who are through to Friday’s semifinal round. They will face either two-time defending champion Italy or Austria, who play on Wednesday.
“I think we had a very good preparation for this match. We were all ready to be on the court,” Belgium team captain Steve Darcis said during his team’s post-match news conference. “I think we saw it today. They did two great matches also on the bench. They were really focused.
“Yeah, I just told them that I don’t care if we win, if we lose, just I care if you do your best, if you fight. I want to be proud of you after the matches. Today I can say I’m proud of them.”
Belgian team captain Steve Darcis (photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for ITF)
The first rubber of the tie featured French lefty Moutet against up-and-coming Belgian Collignon. Moutet raced to a 4-0 double-break lead in the opening set before Collignon finally held his nerves and his serve. Whether it could be written off as a case of first-time jitters from playing in a Final 8 or not, after half an hour, it gave France a nice advantage from which to build upon. Moutet closed out the 40-minute opening set 6-2 with his ninth winner, a third-shot forehand.
As the second set developed, Collignon settled down and focused his energy on leveling his rubber with Moutet, who showed his own frustration in tossing his racquet aside after falling behind 5-4. Perhaps, he was starting feel the pressure of the moment. Moutet saved a break point at 5-6, 15-40, after Collignon showed his overeagerness in mishitting a forehand smash. However, Collignon converted his second set-point opportunity when Moutet miscalculated a forehand volley return and gifted the Belgian the set 7-5. This, after Moutet hit two double faults and missed a forward-facing trick-shot tweener on an easy ball. Suddenly, it was a set each and anyone’s guess how the decider would go.
Soon, on serve at 3-all in the third set, Collignon settled down and continued to be the more aggressive and focused player. However, Moutet, with his slight-of-hand angled drop volleys, wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. For a moment, it seemed fitting that the first rubber might be decided by a third-set tie-break until it wasn’t. That’s because Collignon managed to win the final three points of the set – the last one after Moutet double faulted on match point – and with it, he garnered the match away from his pesky but volatile opponent. Collignon toughed it out over Moutet, and, importantly, the first point of the tie for Belgium.
Raphael Collignon (photo: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images for ITF)
Despite being outplayed for the first third of the match, Collignon stayed aggressive and got the result he wanted. By the end, he outpointed Moutet 97-91.
“It was really difficult,” Collignon admitted during his on-court interview. “After the first set, I was thinking my serve was going to be very tough to win the match. So, I’m very happy. It was very stressful at the end. I managed to win for the team.
“It was a crazy atmosphere during the match, but I’m very happy.”
So, just how did the 23-year-old Collignon handle the emotions of playing in the day’s first match?
“At the beginning, it was very tough. I felt very stressed,” said Collignon, who hit 29 winners – including five aces – but also made 37 unforced errors. “I wanted to win for the team, for our country. After a tough start, I got my rhythm a little bit back. With Steve [Darcis] on the bench, he found the right words to relax me. I’m happy I could win the match.”
Bergs proves to be steadier than Rinderknech
Later, Rinderknech and Bergs squared off in a match-up of No. 1 singles players in the second rubber, with France trying to get the tie to a doubles decider while Belgium hoped to wrap it up in singles.
From the outset, Bergs proved the steadier player in the opening set, which he won 6-3, after producing nine winners.
Then, in the second set, the Belgian continued to mount the pressure against Rinderknech and broke his opponent in the fifth game to go ahead 3-2. From there, he remained consistent in his service holds and made matters difficult for his opponent when he was on the return of his opponent’s serves. However, while serving for the set and the match at 5-4, Bergs quickly fell behind 15-40. He had become a bit rattled. Next, Bergs netted a seventh-shot forehand return and it gave Rinderknech – and France – a chance to breathe and recover now that it was 5-all.
Soon, Rinderknech consolidated the break to give himself a 6-5 lead, and it proved just how quickly the tenor of a match could change. Now, it would be up to Bergs to hold serve in order to take the set to a tie-break because Rinderknech wasn’t going to back down easy. He forced Bergs to save a couple of set points, the first one that the Frenchman had set up with a dazzling, cross-court backhand winner. Bergs struck his fifth ace to give himself a game point and held after Rinderknech sailed a forehand return long. It was on to a make-or-break tie-break.
Zizou Bergs (photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for ITF)
In the decisive tie-break, Bergs jumped ahead 3-2 with a superb, backhand winner and changed ends with a 4-2 lead over Rinderknech. He needed to garner just three more points to win the match and advance Belgium to the last four. He made it 5-2 by winning a pressure-filled exchange before Rinderknech won an eight-shot rally to close the gap. Then, Bergs gained a match point after Rinderknech netted a wobbly, fifth-shot forehand. With three chances to seal the win, and on his serve, he let the first one slip away on a netted return. Finally, Bergs gave himself and his country a brilliant, straight-set win after striking a satisfying and solid forehand winner that capped one last nine-shot rally. It was his 20th winner on the day – the 12th he struck from his forehand side. Bergs outpointed Rinderknech 68-61.
“I really don’t know what happened, just a few points. I’ll probably rewatch it and be very proud of what I did and what Raphael did in the match before me. It gave me an extra fusion and extra tranquility to go out there and enjoy myself. It’s a big credit to the team,” Bergs said in describing his performance during an on-court interview amid the cacophony of Belgian fans cheering their country’s victory over the French. “It’s something you just can’t describe. … Today, before the match I was more stressed than usual. The more I stress, the more I care, the better I do on the court.”
The celebration for one nation was on. The Belgians were all hugs and smiles, Bergs, Collignon, Darcis – and it was onward to the semifinals.
Davis Cup news & noteworthy
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from Spain’s team for the Davis Cup Final 8 due to a right thigh injury. The announcement was made after Alcaraz joined his Spanish teammates in Bologna, where he underwent medical tests on his right thigh, which he injured during Sunday’s Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The analysis of Alcaraz’s injury revealed “a muscle overload in the area and marked swelling of his right hamstring.”
Alcaraz said: “I am very sorry to announce that I will not be able to play with Spain in the Davis Cup in Bologna. I have an edema in the hamstring of my right leg and the medical recommendation is not to compete.
“I’ve always said that playing for Spain is the greatest thing there is and I was very excited to be able to help fight for the ‘salad bowl’. I’m going home hurt.”
With Alcaraz out, it leaves Team Spain a player short for its quarterfinal tie against Czechia on Thursday. It means that No. 36 Jaume Munar will be elevated to No. 1 singles to replace Alcaraz, with either No. 89 Pablo Carreño Busta and No. 95 Pedro Martinez filling the other singles position. World No. 6 Marcel Granollers will anchor the Spanish doubles.
Tuesday’s Davis Cup Final 8 results
Wednesday’s Davis Cup Final 8 schedule
By the numbers
Belgium’s team captain Steve Darcis has led the Belgian team since their 2023 World Group I tie against Uzbekistan and has a 6-2 win-loss record as captain. As a player, he represented Belgium in Davis Cup competition from 2005-2019, and produced a 24-19 overall match win-loss record. He was part of the Belgian teams that finished runner-up in 2015 and 2017, playing at least one match at every stage of the World Group draw in both seasons. He’s fourth place on the all-time list for most Davis Cup singles match wins by a Belgian player (23) and is tied for fourth place on the all-time list for most ties played by a Belgian player (25).
“Quotable …”
• “Corentin doesn’t miss many balls. When you are stressed and making some errors, it’s tough to get a rhythm. He’s slicing [his returns], playing serve and volley. He has straight shots sometimes. So, it was tough for me to impose my game. After the first set, I tried to impose my game with my forehand and I’m very happy [with the result].”
– Raphael Collignon of Belgium, during his on-court interview Tuesday, after defeating Corentin Moutet of France to give Belgium a 1-0 lead.
• “What can I say? I made it many times. People said I’m a genius when I made it. Now they’re probably going to say that I’m a clown. That’s how I feel right now. I think that the stress, the tension of the match, the emotion, that’s how I expressed it. I was tight on this game. So I think that’s why I did it.
“It’s hard to do the good choice, even if for the people it looks quite stupid to do this shot. Even for myself. I don’t know what to say. It was an important point. Will be much smarter to finish with a volley. I said I cannot play again this shot. If I would have to play it again, I would do different, for sure.
“Yeah, I mean, in the same time it’s easy to criticize when it doesn’t go well, and say that it’s a great shot when I make it. So I’m trying not to be too hard on myself. In the same time, I try to be honest with myself, as well. I could do much better choices on this shot.”
– Corentin Moutet of France, during his post-match news conference Tuesday evening, discussing his choice of hitting a between-the-legs return during his final service game before losing to Raphael Collignon.
