Jasmine Paolini and Italy beat Slovakia to win the Billie Jean King Cup

 

[November 21, 2024]  By HOWARD FENDRICH

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini capped a breakthrough season by leading 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 in the final of the women’s team competition.

When Paolini's win ended, she was joined on court by her teammates, and they embraced each other, then danced and sang along as the Gypsy Kings' version of “Volare” blared on the loudspeakers.

The No. 4-ranked Paolini was the runner-up at the French Open in June and at Wimbledon in July, making her the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to get to the title matches at Roland Garros and the All England Club in the same season. Before this year, Paolini, who is 28, had lost in the first or second round in all 16 career appearances at majors.

“Unbelievable year. Unbelievable. A crazy year. To finish like this, with a title … it’s amazing. I don’t have words to describe it. I’m trying just to enjoy every moment,” Paolini said. “I feel lucky to be in the position. I feel lucky to be part of this team.”

She also teamed with Sara Errani to win a doubles gold medal at the Paris Olympics in August. They were lined up to play in the concluding match against Slovakia, but it wasn't needed because Italy clinched the best-of-three series by sweeping the two singles matches.

“Jasmine raised her level really high this year. ... She’s an example for all of us,” said her teammate, 78th-ranked Lucia Bronzetti, who took Wednesday’s opener by a 6-2, 6-4 score against Viktoria Hruncakova before a crowd that included International Tennis Hall of Famer and equal rights pioneer Billie Jean King herself.

Bronzetti called it an “honor” to compete in front of the woman for whom the event is named, saying, “She is a great person, a great legend.”

Italy, which eliminated Iga Swiatek and Poland in the semifinals, earned its fifth championship a year after finishing as the runner-up to Canada.

“I’m so proud of them. They fight every day,” Italian captain Tathiana Garbin said. “This journey was incredible.”

The triumph adds to what’s been quite a recent run for Italy in tennis, including two Grand Slam trophies in 2024 and the No. 1 men’s ranking for Jannik Sinner, who helped his country claim last year’s Davis Cup. Sinner and Italy meet Argentina in the men’s quarterfinals Thursday.

Italy tennis players celebrate after winning against Slovakia the Billie Jean King Cup final at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

This is the first time the two premier International Tennis Federation team events are being held at the same site, although the women’s matches are being played in a much smaller venue. They are using a temporary court set up under a white tent, with a capacity of 4,000; the men are playing in a permanent arena with 9,200 seats that were full Tuesday for Rafael Nadal’s last match before retirement in Spain’s loss to the Netherlands.

Bronzetti never had played a BJK Cup singles match until this week. She said she didn’t find out until Tuesday night that she would be in the lineup against Slovakia.

“I didn’t sleep very well,” Bronzetti said.

“You’re not playing just for yourself,” she said. “You’re playing for your team and your country.”

Serenaded by chants of her first name — “Loo-Chee-Ah! Loo-Chee-Ah!” — that mingled with the sounds of a drum and red plastic horn played in the cheering section behind Slovakia’s bench, Bronzetti claimed the last three games of the first set and the last four of the match.

She trailed 4-2, 40-15 in the second set but turned it around.

“I was a little worried I was going to a third,” Bronzetti said.

Slovakia, which won the BJK Cup in 2002, eliminated the United States, Australia and Britain to get to the final this time.

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