Jasmine Paolini suffered an agonising defeat to Iga Swiatek before winning the deciding doubles match at the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals.
The Italian suffered a fourth successive loss to the reigning French Open champion, in what was their first meeting since their meeting in the clay court Grand Slam final in June.
For the first time in her career, Paolini took a set off the World number two, but the Pole stormed back to claim a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win.
This was a crucial victory for Poland as this levelled the tie at one victory apiece, but Paolini had the last laugh as she won the deciding doubles match with Sara Errani to send Italy through to the Billie Jean King Cup final.
How did Iga Swiatek come from behind to defeat Jasmine Paolini at the Billie Jean King Cup?
Iga Swiatek’s back was against the wall as she found herself a set down Jasmine Paolini at the Billie Jean King Cup finals.
A defeat would have knocked Poland out of the tournament, but the five-time Grand Slam winner showed her fight and battled back and broke serve in the ninth game of the second set to level the match.
Swiatek raised her level in set three and continued applying pressure on Paolini’s serve, while saving 13 of the 16 break points she faced in the two-hour and 33 minute epic.
But the 28-year-old regrouped to win the deciding doubles match with Sara Errani to send Italy through. Post-match, Paolini explained what Swiatek was able to do to come from behind to defeat her in the singles contest.
“I think the surface, for sure. You know, here it’s pretty fast. So it was a little bit different match. I was close to win it but not enough, because, I mean, she played unbelievable,” she said.
“Especially in the third set I think she raised her level. Especially with the serve, she started to play better and better.
“I had some chances in the second set and maybe also in the third, but I have to say congrats to her, because she play unbelievable in important points.
“With the doubles, yeah, I tried to, you know, to find the energy after the loss, and yeah, I tried, you know, to say to myself, Look, we have to play, we have to try to win, and let’s do it and keep the energy up. I was repeating this to myself.”
Iga Swiatek reacts to comeback victory over Jasmine Paolini at the Billie Jean King Cup
Swiatek has struggled with her form since the US Open, but playing for her country helped her produce her best when it mattered most against Paolini.
Despite coming back from 3-1 down to level the third set at 3-3, Swiatek continued to hold her serve and stay ahead, and broke the Italian’s serve in the final game of the match to win. After the contest Swiatek told reporters how she was able to turn to the match around.
“I’m not sure. I think I wasn’t that consistent as I was in our last matches. You know, I didn’t really give space on the Roland Garros final, and at the US Open, too, for her to come back to the match,” she said.
“Today I did, and she used that. She’s a top player, and you can’t do that if you want to win, you know, kind of smoothly.
“I think my energy level was, like, really low in the second set, and I came back kind of in the third. I’m not sure why (smiling), but I don’t know, I just felt better in the third set, so I thought I could do more.”
Swiatek was unable to follow up her comeback win as she and Katarzyna Kawa lost to the Olympic champions Paolini and Errarni.
The loss was made all the more heartbreaking for Poland after they squandered three opportunities to win set one, and blew a 5-1 lead in set two in a 5-7, 5-7 defeat to end their hopes of winning a first Billie Jean King Cup title.
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