Jasmine Paolini
Italy successfully defended their Billie Jean King Cup crown after Jasmine Paolini sealed a 2-0 triumph over the United States in Shenzhen on Sunday.
World number eight Paolini delivered a commanding performance to beat American top seed Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-2, securing Italy’s sixth title in the women’s team competition.
The 29-year-old has been outstanding throughout the tournament, going unbeaten in both singles and doubles this year and winning nine of her last 10 matches in the competition.
Her heroics came after world number 91 Elisabetta Cocciaretto set Italy on their way with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-4 victory over Emma Navarro.
The 24-year-old recovered from 4-2 down in the second set to defeat the world number 18 in just under 80 minutes.
“It’s amazing, I didn’t expect it,” Paolini said after clinching the title. “It’s been a really great week and it’s amazing to play this competition. The United States were very strong today. It was really tough.”
The victory marks Italy’s second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup title, following last year’s success against Slovakia, and their first back-to-back triumphs since 2010.
For the United States, the defeat means their wait for a record-extending 19th title continues. They were playing in their first final since 2018 and have not lifted the trophy since 2017.