Davis Cup: Italy wins doubles to stay alive in quarterfinal

Italy staved off losing to Belgium in the Davis Cup quarterfinals by winning the doubles on Saturday.

CHARLEROI, Belgium (AP) — Italy staved off losing to Belgium in the Davis Cup quarterfinals by winning the doubles on Saturday.

Simone Bolelli and Andreas Seppi defeated Ruben Bemelmans and Jons De Loore 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6) in nearly four hours.

Belgium won both singles on Friday, and can clinch the tie on Sunday in the first reverse singles, when David Goffin plays Paolo Lorenzi. Goffin won their only previous match in 2014.

In the third set of the increasingly tense doubles, Bolelli amd Seppi needed seven set points to win it, and overcome a Belgian video challenge.

Another solitary break decided the fourth for the Belgians, playing only for the third time.

In the fifth set, Italy broke first and led 5-2, Belgium broke back in the ninth, the Belgians had match point in the tiebreaker, but Italy won the last three points.