Paolini Pledges to Battle to the End for BJK Cup Triumph

Jasmine Paolini, a two-time Grand Slam singles finalist, expressed her determination on Monday to “fight until the last ball” in her quest to guide Italy to a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup title this week in Shenzhen.

The Italian team aims to be the first to defend their title in the women’s team competition since the Czech Republic in 2016, beginning their campaign on Tuesday against hosts China.

Paolini was instrumental in Italy’s success at the Finals last November, winning four out of five matches in Malaga, which led to Italy’s fifth BJK Cup win since 2013.

As a Grand Slam singles finalist and reigning Olympic doubles champion, Paolini is expected to face China’s Wang Xinyu in Tuesday’s quarter-finals.

“I have a great passion for this competition. It’s truly an honor,” said Paolini, ranked eighth in the world.

“I’m going to fight until the last ball,” she reiterated.

With Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen sidelined due to an elbow surgery, Wang Xinyu leads China’s team this week in Shenzhen.

Ranked 34th globally, Wang was a silver medalist in mixed doubles at last year’s Paris Olympics and won the 2023 French Open women’s doubles alongside Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei.

The 23-year-old Shenzhen native, Wang, has a tied 1-1 head-to-head record against Paolini.

“Playing her here is a different experience,” Wang commented. “It’s my first Billie Jean King Cup Final and I’m excited to play at home.”

USA’s captain, Lindsay Davenport, expressed satisfaction with her deep squad.

Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion, has withdrawn and is replaced by newcomer McCartney Kessler.

Led by world number seven Jessica Pegula, Team USA will face a Kazakhstan team spearheaded by Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

“I anticipate Rybakina and Putintseva will play singles for them. We’ll review all lineups. I’m grateful for such a deep team and myriad options,” Davenport said.

The BJK Cup Finals has been moved up in the calendar to September 16-21, which gains approval from many players and captains, including Davenport and Pegula.

“Everyone agreed immediately,” noted Davenport.

“The schedule seems to fit players better now,” she added.

Elsewhere, Paula Badosa, returning from a back injury since Wimbledon, leads Spain against a powerful Ukraine on Wednesday.

Last year’s semi-finalists Great Britain will miss Emma Raducanu in their game against Japan, who are without Naomi Osaka, on Thursday.

Fixtures:

• Italy vs China
• Ukraine vs Spain
• USA vs Kazakhstan
• Japan vs Great Britain

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