Italy are into the final of the Billie Jean King Cup for the second straight year after beating Poland 2-1.
Jasmine Paolini played some inspired tennis in the decisive doubles clash after enduring the frustrations of losing a tight singles tie against Iga Swiatek earlier on Monday.
With Lucia Bronzetti having already beaten Magda Linette in straight sets, Paolini knew victory against Swiatek in the singles would be enough to send Italy through – and she took the first set to give the support team cheering on the sidelines plenty of belief.
But Swiatek fought back admirably to win in three sets and ensure the doubles tie would be needed to separate the two teams.
While Paolini immediately left the court to go and prepare for the doubles, a visibly tired Swiatek said she could not celebrate as she “still had work to do” and sure enough, she emerged alongside Katarzyna Kawa for the crucial doubles tie.
But it was Sara Errani and Paolini that proved the better combination, the Paris Olympic champions winning a thrilling encounter 7-5 7-5 – coming from 5-1 down in the second set to secure a stunning victory.
“It was tough today, the intensity was insane so I was a little bit tired, but I say to myself you have to push, you still have doubles and you have to give everything for Italy, for my team,” Paolini said.
“When I lost the [singles] match I was a little bit sad, but I tried to think positive about doubles and I knew I had the support of all my team here… The atmosphere was amazing.”
Italy will benefit from a rest day before they play either Great Britain or Slovakia in Wednesday’s final, as they seek to lift the title for the first time since 2013.
Swiatek and Paolini deliver masterclass
The much-anticipated singles tie between world No. 2 Swiatek and No. 4 Paolini certainly did not disappoint, with both players peppering the lines throughout the high-quality match.
The first set featured three breaks – Swiatek initially getting in front, before an aggressive Paolini broke back, reeling off four games in a row to take the opener 6-3, the first set she had ever taken against the Pole.
The second set continued much as the first had finished – with Paolini thumping plenty of winners, one sublime backhand down the line early on getting the crowd on their feet.
But Swiatek dug in and started to find her range, eventually taking it 6-4 as the pressure and expectation mounted on the Italian.
An early exchange of breaks in the decider only added to the tension, but it was Swiatek who emerged from the heavy hitting contest the victor – for a hard-fought 3-6 6-4 6-4 win.
“It was tough, my energy level was down in the second set but I managed to get back and that’s the most important thing, and I’m happy that I won because for sure I needed to fight for everything,” Swiatek said, after the gruelling match which lasted over two-and-a-half hours.
Crucial doubles win for Olympic champions
With Bronzetti having upset the odds to down Linette in straight sets in the first singles rubber, the tie came down to the doubles.
Errani and Paolini looked the brighter of the two pairings in a very good opening set that featured plenty of varied rallies, the veteran Errani covering at the net with purpose and able to read the play the best of the four.
But it was Paolini who grabbed the crucial break in the first set with an incredible cross-court backhand return winner – the crowd delighted with the quality of tennis on show.
The Italians took the first set 7-5, but Swiatek halted their momentum early in the second set with some huge winners as the Polish pair went two breaks up.
But somehow Errani and Paolini clawed their way back into the set, recovering from 5-1 down and reeling off six straight games to seal the match and the tie for Italy – Errani even cheekily opting for an underarm serve on match-point.
She dropped to the floor when the ball flew wide to hand the match to Italy, sparking jubilant celebrations as the pair were surrounded by the rest of their team.
“It was not easy, watching the [singles] matches and cheering for them 100% so it was maybe not the best preparation,” Errani joked.
“It wasn’t easy – a really long day, and I started the doubles not too good, but we found a way. So many deuce points, we played a really good match.”
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