Italy returns to championship match at Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Italy has made it to the championship match of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the first time in a decade. This was made possible after Martina Trevisan and Jasmine Paolini secured singles wins at the prestigious team event on Saturday.

During Saturday’s semifinals, the Italians secured a 2-0 lead over Slovenia after the singles matches. Both Trevisan and Paolini have remained undefeated, with a 3-0 record in singles matches this week.

Italy is now waiting to face the winner of the second semifinal tie between 11-time Billie Jean King Cup champion Czech Republic and Canada.

The last time four-time champion Italy made it to the final and won the title was 10 years ago in 2013. This marked the end of a dominant period for the Italians, winning the Billie Jean King Cup four times out of eight editions: 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2013.

Trevisan started Saturday’s semifinals by defeating Kaja Juvan 7-6(6), 6-3. World No.43 Trevisan’s victory came after saving a set point at 6-5 in the first-set tiebreak, winning the 2-hour and 20-minute match against 104th-ranked Juvan.

In the second match, World No.30 Paolini battled past 100th-ranked Tamara Zidansek 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in just over two hours. Although she fell behind by an early break in the third set, Paolini won six of the last seven games to secure the tie for Italy.

Despite Saturday’s loss, it was still a breakthrough tournament for the Slovenians. This week, they made it to the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the first time in the nation’s history.

More to come…