Italy Advances to the Billie Jean King Cup Final for the Third Consecutive Year
SHENZHEN, China – The Italian team, the current champion, has secured its place in the Billie Jean King Cup final for the third consecutive year, after coming back and defeating Ukraine with a score of 2-1 in the semifinals held on Friday. The duo composed of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, both Roland Garros champions, prevailed in the decisive doubles match against Marta Kostyuk and Lyudmyla Kichenok, with a score of 6-2, 6-3. In the second set, Kostyuk and Kichenok took a 3-1 lead, even with a chance for 4-2, but a double fault prevented them from consolidating their advantage.This was the second crucial point for Paolini, who had previously come back from a losing score in the second individual match, where she was losing a set and 2-4 against Elina Svitolina, but managed to prevail with partials of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Marta Kostyuk had given Ukraine an initial lead by defeating Elisabetta Cocciaretto with a score of 6-2, 6-3. Driven by Paolini’s performance, the Italians will seek their fifth title in the 2024 final, after falling to Canada in the 2023 final. Ukraine, for its part, was playing in the semifinals for the first time in its history. In the other semi-final, the United States will face Great Britain on Saturday. The United States defeated Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals, while Great Britain overcame Japan. Formerly known as Fed Cup, the United States is the most successful team in the history of the competition, with 18 titles, although it has not won since 2017.
