Jasmine Paolini celebrates Italy's victory in the Billie Jean King Cup, shares pictures on her X

Italy clinched their fifth Billie Jean King Cup title, with Jasmine Paolini playing a pivotal role in the victory over Slovakia in the final. Paolini delivered an impressive performance, securing her second singles match against Rebecca Sramkova with a commanding score of 6-2, 6-1. This victory contributed to Italy’s decisive 2-0 win.

Remarkably, this triumph marked Italy’s first Billie Jean King Cup title in 11 years, with their last win dating back to 2013. 

Italy's triumph was electrifying, with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner proudly joining the jubilant Italian fans as Paolini and her teammates celebrated their victory. Sinner, having secured the ATP Finals title and earned the prestigious title of year-end number one player, portrayed the strength of Italian tennis. 

Lucia Bronzetti made an impressive mark in her second BillieJean Cup match, defeating Viktoria Hruncakova with a commanding score of 6-2, 6-4 in the opening match. This strong start set the tone for the day, and Paolini expertly sealed the deal in just about one hour.

Paolini's take on the historic moment 

The 4th ranked tennis sensation, Paolini, expressed her pride in the remarkable progress of Italian tennis over the past few weeks. She acknowledged the historical significance of the moment and highlighted the team’s exceptional performance throughout the week. Paolini emphasized her happiness in seeing the title return to Italy this year, crediting the team's dedication and resilience in every match they played.

“It is unbelievable, amazing, I don’t have words to describe how I feel right now, it’s just incredible. I think we played an unbelievable week and I’m so proud of how we did it in every match. I’m very happy that this year we finally were able to bring the title back to Italy,” Paolini said after the win," Paolini said.

Paolini experienced a remarkable turnaround this year, advancing to the finals at both the Roland Garros and Wimbledon. After facing a tough loss to Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in last year's final, she was determined to achieve victory this time around.

In reflecting on her performance, Paolini expressed her strong motivation heading into the match. She made a commitment to herself upon stepping onto the court, vowing to give her all. She emphasized that both she and her team fought diligently for every point, and their efforts paid off positively.

“When I stepped on court I told myself that I was going to give 100%. If you win, you win. But if you lose you have to accept that. We are going to fight for every ball and it went well for us,” she added.

The celebrations were elevated by the esteemed presence of tennis legend Billie Jean King, namesake of the tournament, who presented the trophy to the champions. Paolini later shared images of this historic moment on her socials.

The 2023 Billie Jean King Cup has undeniably solidified Italy's position as a formidable presence in the tennis realm.