Jasmine Paolini dominates Jessica Pegula, Italy wins Billie Jean King Cup for sixth time

Italy wins the Billie Jean King Cup for the sixth time in its history by beating the United States 2-0 in Shenzhen. After Elisabetta Cocciaretto’s victory over Emma Navarro, Jasmine Paolini, world No. 8, also won her singles match by dominating Jessica Pegula, No. 7, with a score of 6-4 6-2 in one’hour and 24 minutes of play.

The match goes fairly smoothly until 4-4, only Paolini has to save a break point at 2-2. The ninth game is very long: Jasmine gets recovered from 40-0, saves three break balls and then finally on the sixteenth point holds serve.

This is the game that basically decides the first set because in the next one Pegula loses her serve and Italy is thus one set away from triumph. Pegula breaks Paolini’s serve in the first game of the second set but then Jasmine takes off and flies to 5-1.

The Tuscan misses three match points while serving for the match, loses one of the two break leads, but in the next game on the fourth chance a backhand error by Pegula gives the trophy to the Azzurri.

After those of 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013, when it was called the Fed Cup, and 2024, it is the sixth title in its history for Italy’s women’s team, and of those, Sara Errani has won five. The United States has won 18 but has been dry since 2017 and is losing seven years after its last final.