Defending champion Italy became the first nation to reach the semifinals of this year’s Billie Jean King Cup with a 2-0 win over host China on Tuesday in Shenzhen.
Italy rallied in both singles matches to clinch the tie.
Cocciaretto rallies twice to give Italy the lead
In the opener, China’s Yue Yuan, ranked No. 102, thrilled the home crowd by taking the first set 6-4 and building a 5-2 lead in the second. But Elisabetta Cocciaretto fought back, winning five straight games to steal the set 7-5.
Yuan again surged ahead in the third, breaking twice for a 4-0 lead and later going up 5-2. Cocciaretto, ranked No. 91, responded once more, drawing level at 5-all before breaking again and holding serve to close out a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory in 2 hours, 52 minutes. The win put Italy up 1-0.
Paolini rallies to clinch tie for Italy
In the second singles match, China’s Wang Xinyu, ranked No. 34, broke Jasmine Paolini in the eighth game to take the opening set 6-4.
Wang secured another break in the second and served at 5-3, but Paolini, the World No. 8, turned the match around. She broke back, forced a tiebreak and took the set to keep Italy’s semifinal hopes alive.
With momentum on her side, Paolini broke early in the third set for a 2-0 lead. Wang responded by winning four straight games to go up 4-2, but Paolini answered with a run of her own, sweeping the final four games to close out a 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory. The win secured Italy’s place in the semifinals.
Next up
Italy will face the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between five-time champion Spain and Ukraine, which is seeking its first title in the competition. On Thursday, Kazakhstan meets the United States and Great Britain faces Japan in the remaining quarterfinals.