Italy won the Billie Jean King Cup for the fifth time on Wednesday, Jasmine Paolini defeated Rebecca Sramkova in a decisive 2-0 victory over Slovakia. Paolini won the second singles match 6-2, 6-1, following Lucia Bronzetti’s 6-2, 6-4 win over Viktoria Hruncakova. Italy finished second to Canada in last year’s final, but they went one further in Malaga to win the world championship for the first time since 2013.
Italy, who were defeated by Canada in the final last year, defeated Poland in the semi-finals on Monday, with Paolini and Sara Errani winning a deciding doubles match over world number two Iga Swiatek and Katarzyna Kawa. The main event began with Bronzetti defeating Viktoria Hruncakova 6-2 6-4, and then Paolini faced Rebecca Sramkova. The world number four, who won doubles gold at the Paris Olympics in August to conclude her breakout year.
She defeated Sramkova by a score of 6-2 6-1, avoiding a doubles match. Slovakia, who won the championship in 2002, had never lost a BJK Cup match in Spain. In a surprising run to this year’s final, the underdogs overcame the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, but Bronzetti easily defeated Hruncakova in under 90 minutes.
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The 28-year-old Italian extended her lead to 3-1 with a fizzing forehand before consolidating. Paolini has spent the majority of her career outside the top 50, so 2024 represents a significant step forward for her. She broke again when Sramkova went long and served it out, securing an impressive victory in one hour and five minutes. In the opening match, world number 78 Bronzetti denied the experienced Hruncakova the opportunity to use her strength.
Paolini said, “Unbelievable year, unbelievable, to finish like this with the Billie Jean King cup, it’s amazing, I don’t have words to describe it. I’m trying just to enjoy it, it’s important to understand where you are, I feel lucky to be in this position, and I feel lucky to be part of this team…I’m really happy that this year we could bring the trophy home again.”
