Jasmine Paolini has helped Italy secure back-to-back Billie Jean King Cup titles with her singles win over the USA’s Jessica Pegula.
The USA were tipped to win the Billie Jean King Cup, but Italy had other ideas as they successfully defended their title.
Italy enjoyed a dream start to their clash with the USA in Shenzhen, with Elisabetta Cocciaretto defeating Emma Navarro.
Pegula was excited for the final, but she followed her compatriot Navarro and lost her singles tie with Paolini in the Billie Jean King Cup final.
The doubles match between Paolini and Sara Errani, and Hailey Baptiste and McCartney Kessler, was then not needed as Italy had already claimed an unassailable lead.
Jasmine Paolini makes comment about Jessica Pegula after the Billie Jean King Cup final
It was a similar scenario to the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup final, when Italy defeated Slovakia 2-0 in Malaga.
And when asked how much last year’s experience helped this time around, Paolini replied: “Honestly, I thought that was another match with the United States. It was really complicated I think. We did an amazing job.
“But honestly, I was thinking just to play my match against Pegula, that she’s an amazing player. I was trying to focus on myself and I was hoping not to play doubles after that.”
READ MORE: Taylor Townsend shares how she felt playing doubles with Jessica Pegula at the Billie Jean King Cup
And when asked what she learned from the week, the Italian replied: “Yeah, was really tough. Started the first day, I wasn’t feeling that good on court.
“Match by match, I was feeling better. Today was probably the best match in this competition. Yeah, I was feeling great today.
“I think the key was to beat Jessica Pegula because she’s very strong. Really happy about the performance.”
Jasmine Paolini has message for the fans in Shenzhen after Billie Jean King Cup success
Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre played host to the team event, where eight teams battled it out for the trophy.
It was the first time the tournament had been held in China, with Shenzhen set to host the Billie Jean King Cup until 2027.
And it was a setting that Paolini really enjoyed, with the champion saying to the fans afterwards: “Just to say thank you to them. They support us a lot.
“The Italians, of course, but also the Chinese. Was amazing. I think they helped us to turn the match with Ukraine. They helped us to win this competition, for sure. We felt I think a bit home here.”
And sharing her verdict on helping inspire the next generation of Italian players, she noted: “Yes, it’s amazing. I still cannot realize that. It’s amazing to show how we fight on court.
“We try to do our best. I think to play for the national team, it’s something that I was watching, I was dreaming to do.
“Hopefully many, many girls are going to start to play tennis. I think tennis in Italy is growing a lot. Hopefully we are going to inspire some little girls.”
It’s safe to say that Italian tennis is in very safe hands, with Italy now winning the Billie Jean King Cup for a second successive year.
But the same scenario has played out in the Davis Cup, with the Italian men’s side winning that tournament in both 2023 and 2024.
And individually there are, of course, many standouts, including top 10 players Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti and Paolini.
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