Belgium began their Davis Cup Finals 2025 campaign in spectacular fashion with a stunning upset over France in Bologna, as tournament organizers confirmed that discussions are underway regarding potential changes to the event’s format amid the absence of several top-ranked players.

The first match saw 86th-ranked Belgian Raphael Collignon overcome French world number 35 Corentin Moutet in a thrilling three-set victory, 2-6, 7-5, 7-5. Collignon’s remarkable comeback laid the foundation for teammate Zizou Bergs to secure the tie with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win against Arthur Rinderknech, ranked 14 places above him on the ATP ladder.

Bergs, famously named after French football legend Zinedine Zidane, has now propelled Belgium into the semi-finals, where they will face either Italy or Austria.

Top Players Absent Amid Calls for Biennial Davis Cup

The opening day of the finals highlighted a growing challenge for the tournament: the absence of several top players. World number one Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from Spain’s squad due to an injury sustained at the ATP Finals, leaving Germany’s Alexander Zverev as the only top-10 men’s singles player competing in Bologna.

Other elite players, such as Italian stars Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, opted to prioritize recovery or family time at the start of tennis’s six-week off-season. Both Alcaraz and Sinner have publicly suggested that moving the Davis Cup to a biennial format could improve participation from top-ranked players.

ITF to Consult Top Players on Tournament Format

Ross Hutchins, Chief Executive of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), confirmed that conversations with top players are planned to explore ways to enhance engagement and ensure strong line-ups for future editions.

“The history of this event is a very, very popular team competition, which has been consistently across the last 125 years a yearly event,” Hutchins told BBC Sport.

“We have a three-year deal in Bologna, which we are very excited about. Malaga worked very well the last few years as a season-end product – top players playing, amazing narratives – so the question is, what’s right moving forward? I do have very close relations with the top players and the governing bodies, so I’m going to be having discussions about their points of view.”

Belgium vs France: Match Highlights

On the court, Moutet initially dominated, racing to a 4-0 lead and taking the first set. However, a costly trick shot error allowed Collignon to regain momentum, eventually forcing a decider. The Belgian sealed the match in the 12th game, capitalizing on Moutet’s missed break points.

Bergs then took control of the second rubber, overcoming a scare when he was broken at 5-4 while serving for the match. The Belgian reset to force a tie-break and ultimately claimed victory on his second match point, celebrating with his team after a dominant performance.

Other Quarter-Final Fixtures

On the other side of the draw, Spain face the Czech Republic, while Argentina take on Germany in the remaining quarter-final matches.

Britain’s Road to 2026

Great Britain, absent from this week’s finals after a 3-2 defeat to Japan in February’s qualifiers, remains focused on regaining a place among the elite. The team secured a spot in next year’s season-ending event with a victory over Poland in September.

Doubles specialists Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, recently crowned year-end world number ones, emphasized the importance of Britain demonstrating they can challenge the top nations in 2026.

“We’re an incredibly strong nation, and sometimes we get a bit of hate because we have a Slam and the LTA is financially better off than a lot of federations out there,” Cash said.

“We have a lot of very good players, even below the Davis Cup level, and I think from the standard we’ve got – both singles and doubles – [the Finals] is where we deserve to be. But you have to earn that every year.”

Britain last won the Davis Cup in 2015 under the leadership of Andy Murray, reaching the semi-finals again in 2019 and the quarter-finals in 2021 and 2023. This year, injuries—most notably to British number one Jack Draper—hampered their chances of qualifying.

“Injuries are a big part of it,” Cash noted. “So we hope everyone can stay fit and if some of the other guys need to get called up then hopefully they can put their best performance out there.”