Tara S

By Molly McElwee

Jasmine Paolini blasts her nation to the title with a 6-2 6-1 win over Rebecca SramkovaJasmine Paolini blasts her nation to the title with a 6-2 6-1 win over Rebecca Sramkova

Jasmine Paolini declared it a “dream” as she clinched Italy’s first Billie Jean King Cup crown in 11 years, after defeating a plucky Slovakia team in Malaga.

Italy’s No. 1 Paolini raised her arms in celebration after dispatching Rebecca Sramkova 6-2 6-1 to secure Italy’s 2-0 victory as her teammates stormed the court in jubilant celebrations.
It was fitting that the final point was on Paolini’s racquet as she has led this Italian side with aplomb, combining in both singles and doubles against Japan and Poland, taking four wins from five matches this past week.

This trophy came as redemption for an Italian team that featured four of the players – Paolini, Martina Trevisan, Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Lucia Bronzetti – who suffered the heartbreak of losing to Canada in the 2023 final. The team also includes 37-year-old Sara Errani, who with this win became the player with the longest gap between Billie Jean King Cup titles, following her victory with Italy in 2013.

“Unbelievable year,” Paolini said. “It’s a crazy year, I don’t know to finish like this with a title in Billie Jean King Cup it’s amazing, I don’t have words to describe it. I’m trying just to enjoy every moment. It’s important to understand where you are, I feel lucky to be in this position, in this team. I think we played unbelievable this week.

“Today I was repeating to myself you’re going to give 100 percent. If we win we win, if you lose we accept that. I fight for every ball.”

It caps off Paolini’s incredible breakthrough year. Though she is 28 and has been a top 50 player for the best part of three years, Paolini’s run to the Roland-Garros and Wimbledon finals earlier this season proved her mettle as one of the world’s best. Now the world No. 4, she won her first WTA 1000 title in Dubai this past February, doubles gold at the Olympics with Errani and reached the season end WTA Finals in another milestone ticked off.

Paolini has said she previously struggled in the team format as the pressure would sometimes get to her when representing her country. But 2023 changed that and set her on her way to the most remarkable season, culminating in capturing the greatest team trophy in women’s tennis on Wednesday night.

Asked what she would have said, if she were told that 2024 would bring her two major finals and this trophy, Paolini replied simply, “Impossible. This year was crazy, and to finish like that, it’s a dream.”
Runners-up Slovakia were the surprise package of this tournament. The smallest country in the Finals, Slovakia reached this championship tie by defeating three Grand Slam nations on the bounce – USA, Australia and Great Britain. They were hoping to win their first title since 2002, but this final proved a step too far for the ultimate underdogs.
Lucia Bronzetti was called up by Tathiana Garbin to start Italy off in the opening match in a clash against Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova. This was only Bronzetti’s second singles match ever in the tournament after she debuted in the semi-final against Poland earlier this week. She made it two from two on Wednesday night.

She and Hruncakova exchanged breaks in the opening three games, but then Bronzetti began her charge. She played a solid set and lifted her level on the big points to take the first set 6-2 in 40 minutes.
Hruncakova tried to hustle back, and was a break up in the second set, but Bronzetti was not going away. She played the break points better than her opponent and closed the match out with style 6-2 6-4.

It put Italy well on their way, with Paolini the on-paper favourite in the second singles match against Sramkova.

Sramkova had a 100 percent winning record at these finals, but for all her steely resolve in beating Danielle Collins, Ajla Tomljanovic and Katie Boulter, she looked nervous and struggled with her forehand throughout.

Paolini pounced, taking the first set 6-2 and then went a break up to 2-0 in the second. Sramkova came alive next and broke back with a searching backhand down the line but it only turned out to be a brief glimmer of hope for the Slovakian side.

Paolini broke back to love immediately, a cross-court forehand winner getting the crowd on their feet and she did not look back, closing out the match in 65 minutes.

Italy captain Garbin, who recovered from surgery for a tumour late last year, said this moment felt even more special because of what they had been through together as a team.

“I came here this year, and for me was a gift, because as you know, last year was a difficult moment,” she said. “But I have all the team behind me, and that’s why on the bench [I] try to give courage and to support them, because is what they have done to me in the tough moments. I’m very proud of these girls, these human beings, not just the champions they are. They are really a great team.”

The Slovakians were understandably devastated to fall short, but said they would take the positives from their brilliant run.

“For now, these emotions are a little bit sad, but I think we need to look at the whole thing, the whole picture, and what we did here,” Hruncakova said.

“It’s absolutely amazing, and I think we need couple hours, maybe couple days to actually realise it. We’re all gonna realise that this was something before the tournament, if someone would tell this to us, we would be thrilled.”