With only three games left in the Davis Cup, there is much at stake, and national pride is certainly one of them. Unlike most tennis tournaments, where competitors represent themselves individually, the Davis Cup showcases national teams competing against each other. Each tie/round for this tournament involves a contest between two countries and comprises three matches – two singles matches and one doubles match – all played in a best-of-three sets format. Established in 1900, the Davis Cup stands as one of the oldest tournaments in not just tennis, but in sports and this year, the remaining four teams vying for victory are Italy, Serbia, Australia, and giant-killers, Finland, who have emerged as the unexpected standout of the tournament. Ahead of the semi-finals, here is a preview of what to expect as well as some bet predictions for our online sports betting enthusiasts. **Finland vs. Australia** Finland has undeniably been the story of the tournament. After eliminating Argentina in the qualifiers, they defeated the United States and Croatia in the group stage. Their remarkable journey continued as they ousted the defending champions, Canada, in the quarter-finals. Even more impressive, every team the Finns have defeated this tournament are former champions, a clear sign they are not rattled by the résumé of the teams on the other side of the net. Now in their first ever semi-final, they’ll be looking to make history by going a step further and making Sunday’s final. But first, they must defeat an Australian team whom they are facing for the first time in the Davis Cup. While Finland’s history in this competition is limited, Australia boasts a rich and illustrious record in the competition. The Aussies have won the second most titles (28) in this competition, trailing only the United States (32), and their quarter-final triumph over Czech Republic was their 200th win in the competition, making them only the second team to reach this milestone after the United States. Despite this remarkable history, Australia has not had its hands on the coveted trophy since their 3-1 triumph over Spain in 2003. In fact, their appearance in last year’s final, where they lost to Canada, was their first since they won in 2003, and they’ll hope to go all the way this time around. Led by world #12, Alex de Minaur, the Australians seem destined to make up for last year’s bitter loss. They trailed 0-1 after Czech’s Tomas Machac defeated Jordan Thompson in the first match. However, Alex de Minaur defeated Jiri Lehecka to level the scores for the Aussies, before Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell defeated Czech duo, Jiri Lehecka and Adam Pavlasek in the decisive doubles 6-4, 7-5. Finland has defied all expectations on their remarkable journey, and while many pundits believe Australia is the stronger team and likely to advance, there’s a lingering hope that Finland’s heart will prevail, leading to yet another upset. However, achieving this feat hinges on overcoming a significant concern—the potential absence of Emil Ruusuvuori. A shoulder injury sidelined Ruusuvuori during the quarter-final against Canada, but the country’s highest-ranked player showed promise in Thursday’s training session and is reportedly fit to play. Despite Ruusuvuori’s absence, Finland performed admirably. In his first Davis Cup match in five years, Canada’s Milos Raonic secured a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Patrick Kaukovalta, giving the North Americans the initial lead. However, Finland’s Otto Virtanen played a crucial role by defeating Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 7-5, leveling the score for the Europeans. The tie ultimately came down to the decisive doubles match, where Finnish Virtanen and Harri Heliovaara emerged victorious over Alexis Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil with a score of 7-5, 6-3. In a win that highlighted Finland’s resilience and team spirit in the face of challenges. While the Aussies are the better team, our bet of the day is for the Finns to continue their fairytale run with a huge upset and BetKing has high odds for that. **Betting Tip**
**Italy vs. Serbia** Led by tennis icon, Novak Djokovic, Serbia cruised to the semi-final with a 2-0 win over Great Britain in the Quarter-finals. The World #1 exerted his dominance on his opponent, but also the British crowd yelling “shut up!” at them as they drowned his post-match interview in jeers. He had celebrated at the end of the first set by blowing a kiss to a British supporter heckling him, and also cupped his ear in their direction at the end of the match. “You should learn how to show some respect,” Djokovic told the fans, and it is fair to say, they don’t have him on their Christmas list. Djokovic’s 6-4, 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie marked his 21st consecutive win in Davis Singles matches, extending a remarkable record that dates back to March 2009. Now, Novak Djokovic and his fellow Serbs have their sights on a first final appearance since 2013, and a first title since 2010. Similarly to Finland and Australia, Italy had to rely on a comeback to book a semi-final ticket. The Netherlands appeared poised to advance ahead of Italy after Botic van de Zandschulp’s hard-fought 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 victory over Matteo Arnaldi. However, for the second consecutive year, 22-year-old Jannik Sinner was the star of the Italian team. He leveled the tie by defeating Tallon Griekspoor with a score of 7-6, 6-1 before teaming up with Lorenzo Sonego to secure victory in the decisive doubles match. While Italy’s triumph kept their hopes for a first Davis Cup win since 1976 alive, the Dutch team, who haven’t reached the semi-finals since 2001, will have to wait another year to pursue their quest for a first title. This semi-final will be all about two men, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, though both countries wouldn’t want that to cause a shift in focus. Djokovic has enjoyed an outstanding season, securing victories in the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open. His lone loss in a major tournament came in the Wimbledon final against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. To cap off the season, Djokovic claimed a historic 7th ATP Finals title in Turin, Italy, just this past Sunday. The man he beat? Italy’s Jannik Sinner. Sinner had beaten Djokovic 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 just 5 days earlier in the group stage of the ATP World Tour Finals, but Djokovic got his revenge in a fairly straightforward final which he won 6-3, 6-3. It was the 5th meeting between the veteran and the youngster with Djokovic winning 4 of the 5 matches ; the Serb has the mental edge here. If the semi-final match comes down to a showdown between these two players, which seems likely, we expect Djokovic to have the upper hand and this belief is a major factor behind our pick for this match. **Betting Tips**
[Sign up](https://m.betking.com/account/registration) on the best betting site in Nigeria, **BetKing** , and start betting on [Tennis tournaments](https://m.betking.com/sports/tennis/competitions) like the Davis Cup, French Open & more, all available at the best odds.