Australia fell within inches of reaching a third consecutive Davis Cup final, succumbing to a "bloody tough" defeat after being outclassed by defending champions Italy in Málaga.
In a rematch of last year's final where the Azzurri claimed a convincing 2-0 win, the Aussies were hopeful they could pinch a singles rubber knowing the experience of doubles pair Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson.
Forced to wait another 12 months to secure their first Davis Cup title since 2003, Australia team captain Lleyton Hewitt praised his squad despite the lingering disappointment.
"It’s bloody tough for all the boys. They put in a lot of effort to give themselves a chance to be here and come so close again," a deflated Hewitt said.
"But [I'm] super proud of the guys and the effort again that they brought and put in for the whole team."
Coming off a courageous performance to save four match points against Ben Shelton in his quarter-final rubber victory against the USA, Thanasi Kokkinakis was trusted to lead the green and gold once more against Matteo Berrettini.
Given the pair's horrid injury history, it was no surprise to learn that this would be the first head-to-head meeting.
Berrettini, a former Wimbledon finalist, was in control for large portions of the first set, but somehow threw away three set points, including a 6-4 lead in the tiebreak, to hand Kokkinakis a priceless advantage.
However, it was only a matter of time before the Italian broke through, ultimately playing the bigger points better to seal a come-from-behind 6-7(6) 6-3 7-5 win.
"He served incredible. 89 per cent (on first serve) in the third set. [He] didn’t give me much of a chance to look in," Kokkinakis said.
"Yeah, I’m flat. You always feel like you’ve let the team down a little bit, but at the same time, I gave it my all."
It was up to world No.9 Alex de Minaur to level the tie and force a doubles decider, but entering the tournament visibly not 100 per cent, it was always going to be an uphill battle against world No.1 Jannik Sinner.
Sinner extended their head-to-head to a perfect 9-0 after fending off the gallant Aussie to claim a 6-3 6-4 victory and send Australia packing.
The result means de Minaur has lost 17 consecutive sets against the two-time Grand Slam champion, and he had no answers again overnight.
The 25-year-old was understandably frustrated, smashing his racquet after Sinner made no mistake on match point.
"His ball speed, his consistency feels like there’s no real letdown of focus throughout the whole match," said de Minaur.
"So, if you want to go out and beat him, you’ve got to go out and play some of your best tennis. Especially in those big points, you need to step up."
Italy will bid to become the first nation to win back-to-back Davis Cup titles since Czechia in 2012-2013 when they face the Netherlands tomorrow morning at 2am AEDT.
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