Billie Jean King Cup: Italy Stuns with Jasmine Paolini

Italy evened the score against China in the final quarterfinal match of the Billie Jean King Cup, the premier tennis tournament for women’s national teams. After Elisabetta Cocciaretto’s heavy defeat at the hands of Zhang Shuai (6-0, 6-2), the Azzurre evened the series at 1-1 thanks to Jasmine Paolini, who defeated Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 7-6(4) on the hard courts in Shenzhen.

The outcome of the tie will therefore be decided in the doubles match, in which Paolini herself will team up with Sara Errani to face Guo Hanyu and Jiang Xinyu. The decisive point will determine who faces Ukraine in the semifinals; Ukraine, meanwhile, defeated Belgium 2-1.

The other semifinal will feature Spain and the Czech Republic: Spain defeated Kazakhstan 2-1, while the Czech Republic beat Great Britain after just the two singles matches, without needing to play the decisive doubles match. The semifinals are scheduled for Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26 (the latter featuring the match between Ukraine and the winner of Italy vs. China), with the final on Sunday, September 27.

The Billie Jean Cup, known as the Federation Cup until 1994 and the Fed Cup until 2019, is the premier competition for women’s national teams. Italy has won it six times, triumphing in 2006, from 2009 to 2010, in 2013, and in the editions of the past two years, 2024 and 2025. The non-playing captain of the Italian team is Tathiana Garbin; in addition to Cocciaretto and Paolini, the team also includes Lucia Bronzetti, Tyra Caterina Grant, and Sara Errani.