Paolini leads Italy's comeback towards the semifinals

Italy has become the last semifinalist of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after defeating China 2-1 in a highly tense playoff. The Italian team needed to reach the third match to secure their place among the top four, after the two singles matches ended with one victory for each country.

China struck first thanks to Shuai Zhang, who delivered a solid performance by prevailing over Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-0 and 6-2. The Italian found no answer to her opponent's dominance, and the home team took the lead in the tie, forcing Jasmine Paolini to win her match to keep Italy alive.

And Paolini responded. The Italian number one showcased a true exercise in resilience against Qinwen Zheng, defeating her 6-7, 6-4, and 6-3. After losing an extremely tight first set, Paolini managed to turn the match around and bring the tie to a decisive doubles match.

It was then that Italy's most reliable duo appeared. Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini took on the responsibility and ultimately sealed their semifinal spot against Guo and Jiang. The Italians won 6-3, 5-7, and 6-3 in another match marked by equality and tension.

Italy thus demonstrates its collective strength in team competition once again. It did not need to resolve the tie quickly; it had to recover from China's initial blow, survive Paolini's match, and then secure qualification in doubles. Now, the Italian team will face Ukraine in the semifinals, who had previously defeated Belgium 2-1. It will also be a rematch of last year's clash when the Ukrainians beat Italy. The Ukrainian captain, Illya Marchenko, has already made their motivation clear: "We lost to them last year, we want revenge."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Paolini lidera la remontada de Italia rumbo a semifinales