Paolini leads Italy to Billie Jean King Cup title

MALAGA, Spain — Two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini capped a breakthrough season by main Italy to its first Billie Jean King Cup title since 2013 on Wednesday, defeating Rebecca Sramkova 6-2, 6-1 to seal a 2-0 victory over Slovakia within the ultimate of the ladies’s group competitors.

When Paolini’s win ended, she was joined on court docket by her teammates, and so they embraced one another, then danced and sang alongside because the Gypsy Kings’ model of “Volare” blared on the loudspeakers.

The No. 4-ranked Paolini was the runner-up on the French Open in June and at Wimbledon in July, making her the primary lady since Serena Williams in 2016 to get to the title matches at Roland Garros and the All England Membership in the identical season. Earlier than this yr, Paolini, who’s 28, had misplaced within the first or second spherical in all 16 profession appearances at majors.

She additionally teamed with Sara Errani to win a doubles gold medal on the Paris Olympics in August. They have been lined as much as play within the concluding match in opposition to Slovakia, nevertheless it wasn’t wanted as a result of Italy clinched the best-of-three collection by sweeping the 2 singles matches.

“Jasmine raised her stage actually excessive this yr. … She’s an instance for all of us,” mentioned her teammate, 78th-ranked Lucia Bronzetti, who took Wednesday’s opener by a 6-2, 6-4 rating in opposition to Viktoria Hruncakova earlier than a crowd that included Worldwide Tennis Corridor of Famer and equal rights pioneer Billie Jean King herself.

Bronzetti referred to as it an “honor” to compete in entrance of the lady for whom the occasion is known as, saying, “She is a good individual, a fantastic legend.”

Italy, which eradicated No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Poland within the semifinals, earned its fifth championship a yr after ending because the runner-up to Canada.

This triumph provides to what’s been fairly a current run for the Italians in tennis, together with two Grand Slam trophies and the No. 1 males’s rating for Jannik Sinner, who helped his nation declare final yr’s Davis Cup. Sinner and Italy meet Argentina within the males’s quarterfinals Thursday.

That is the primary time the 2 premier Worldwide Tennis Federation group occasions are being held on the similar web site, though the ladies’s matches are being performed in a a lot smaller venue. They’re utilizing a short lived court docket arrange below a white tent, with a capability of 4,000; the lads are enjoying in a everlasting area with 9,200 seats that have been full Tuesday for Rafael Nadal’s final match earlier than retirement in Spain’s loss to the Netherlands.

Bronzetti by no means had performed a BJK Cup singles match till this week. She mentioned she did not discover out till Tuesday night time that she could be within the lineup in opposition to Slovakia.

“I did not sleep very properly,” Bronzetti mentioned.

“You are not enjoying only for your self,” she mentioned. “You are enjoying on your group and your nation.”

Serenaded by chants of her first title – “Lavatory-Chee-Ah! Lavatory-Chee-Ah!” – that mingled with the sounds of a drum and crimson plastic horn performed within the cheering part behind Slovakia’s bench, Bronzetti claimed the final three video games of the primary set and the final 4 of the match.

She trailed 4-2, 40-15 within the second set however turned it round.

“I used to be slightly anxious I used to be going to a 3rd,” Bronzetti mentioned.

Slovakia, which gained the BJK Cup in 2002, eradicated the USA, Australia and Britain to get to the ultimate this time.