Italy Advances to the Billie Jean King Cup Final
SHENZHEN, China – The Italian team, the current champion, secured their place in the Billie Jean King Cup final for the third consecutive year after defeating Ukraine in the semifinals. The final score was 2-1 in favor of Italy.
Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, Roland Garros champions, secured the decisive point in the doubles match against Marta Kostyuk and Lyudmyla Kichenok, with a score of 6-2, 6-3.
In the second set, Kostyuk and Kichenok led 3-1 and had a point for 4-2, but they committed a double fault.
Paolini also contributed with a victory in singles, coming back from a losing score against Elina Svitolina. Paolini, after losing a set and 4-2, managed to win 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.
Motivated by Paolini, the Italians will seek their fifth title in the 2024 final, after falling to Canada in 2023.
Ukraine, for its part, was playing its first semi-final in this tournament.
The United States will face Great Britain in the second semi-final on Saturday. The United States defeated Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals, while Great Britain defeated 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.
