MALAGA, Spain –
Jasmine Paolini put on a tennis masterclass to steer Italy to a fifth Billie Jean King Cup title as she beat Rebecca Sramkova 6-2, 6-1 in the second singles rubber to wrap up a 2-0 win over Slovakia in the final on Wednesday.
A year after Italy suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Canada in the decider and over a decade since their last title in 2013, the charismatic Paolini demolished Sramkova before celebrating wildly with her teammates and jubilant Italian fans, including men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Underdogs Slovakia, which had stunned Britain on its way to the final, never got going against an imperious Italy, which got off the mark with Lucia Bronzetti’s dominant 6-2, 6-4 win over Viktoria Hruncakova in the opening match.