Billie Jean King Cup: Italy Breathes a Sigh of Relief—Errani and Paolini Face a Close Call but Come Out on Top

After a terrible start to the day, with Elisabetta Cocciaretto losing 6-0, 6-2 to Zhang Shuai, the Italian women’s tennis team can breathe a sigh of relief: having already tied the score thanks to the second singles match, won 6-3, 7-6(4) by Jasmine Paolini over Zheng Qinwen, the Italian team completed its comeback in the decisive doubles match, in which Paolini and Sara Errani defeated Guo Hanyu and Jiang Xinyu 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 over Guo Hanyu and Jiang Xinyu, closing out the final quarterfinal of the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup with a 2-1 victory for Italy over China.

After dominating the first set with confidence and getting off to a strong start in the second, Errani and Paolini lost their edge just when things were looking their best, as they seemed to be cruising toward victory at 4-2. The Chinese duo’s comeback resulted in a 5-1 run, forcing the Olympic champions into a third set. In the decisive set, the match remained close until 3-3, then Errani and Paolini shifted gears and finally clinched the decisive point to advance to the semifinals, where Italy will face Ukraine on Saturday, the 26th.

The Ukrainians defeated Belgium 2-1: Anhelina Kalinina’s three-set victory over Jana Otzipka was countered in the second singles match by Greet Minnen, who managed to upset world No. 7 Elina Svitolina despite a 210-rank difference in the WTA rankings. In the doubles, however, the Kalinina-Kichenok pair showed no mercy to the Kempen-Salden duo, winning 6-3, 6-3 and earning a spot in the next round.

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 match between Spain and Kazakhstan will be the first of the two semifinals: the two teams will take the court on Friday, September 25. The final is scheduled for Sunday, September 27.