Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers Day One | Reigning champions Italy one win away from Finals as the USA on the brink of collapse after brace of defeats

The Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers are currently going on as countries look to confirm their spot in the finals being hosted from September 21-27. While reigning champions Italy got off on the front foot, last year's runner-up, the USA, is in a spot of bother after the first day of action.

The ties are played over two days. The first day sees two singles matches, kicking off a best-of-five format. A doubles contest kicks off the second day, before the singles lineups are reversed and replayed to conclude the action. Seven contests will be played with 14 nations looking to book their positions in the prestigious event later this year. As the hosts, China has automatic entry into the event. Everyone else must earn it.

Jasmine Paolini and Elisabetta Cocciaretto are recognisable winners. They have worked brilliantly together enroute to winning two consecutive titles while also reaching the final before that. They are looking to follow in the footsteps of the men and secure a third Billie Jean King Cup on the bounce. Their ambitions for this achievement have taken a positive step forward after taking a 2-0 lead over Japan.

While many of the big names on the WTA Tour have skipped these qualifiers, Paolini is an obvious exception. She has committed to competing for her country, benefiting from a home tie in Rome which is being played on clay courts, good preparation for the big tournaments coming up. She would step onto the court after Cocciaretto, who defeated Moyuka Uchijima 7-5, 6-2.

A late break of serve saw the Italian seal the first set before enjoying a luxurious purple patch which saw her sprint out into a 4-0 lead. She had no qualm in seeing it out, handing the stage to Paolini, who backed it up with another straight sets win, this time against Himeno Sakatsume 6-3, 6-1. The two-Grand Slam finalist would go down a break in the first game but quickly recovered. She soon got the upper hand and was able to come out on top in the first set. The second was much more comfortable. After going 2-1 up, she ticked off four games on the trot to put Italy 2-0 ahead and on the brink of returning to the Finals.

After the match, Paolini stated that nerves were a factor early on. "I was a little bit tense and nervous," Paolini said. "But I managed to stay there. I got better every point and, in the end, I am happy with my first win of the season on clay – it is never easy. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a short day for us, but we just don’t know."

18-time champions USA have not earned silverware since 2017. This barren spell could be compounded with a longer wait for glory after Belgium stormed to a 2-0 lead in a surprising turn of events on day one.

While not as strong as they could have been, Iva Jovic and McCartney Kessler are two very respected tennis players on court. Jovic, who has enjoyed a breakout year in 2026, looked to get the ball rolling, but faltered to a 7-6(3), 6-3 defeat against the world number 94 Hanne Vandewinkel. There was just one break of serve in the entire match, and that came in the second set. The Belgian comfortably clinched a first set tiebreak before edging ahead in that second set, not letting her opponent take back the advantage.

After a slow start, Kessler looked to get her nation back on track. This ambition was abruptly halted after a late retirement thanks to a back problem in a 7-6 (3), 2-6, 3-3 defeat to Elise Mertens. Kesster broke back when Mertens was serving for the set but, similar to her teammate, was defeated with ease in the tiebreak. She would get back on level terms but was unable to continue. The score in the third set sat at 3-3, setting it up for a box office ending. Unfortunately, injury prevailed as Mertens picked up a huge win for her country.

No Elena Rybakina or Victoria Mboko left a wide-open tie between Kazakhstan and Canada. The score is set at 1-1 with much to play for. Yilia Putitseva got the ball rolling with a 7-5, 6-3 win against Kayla Cross before Bianca Andreescu levelled the score with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) triumph over teenager Sonja Zhiyenbayeva.

A partisan crowd made it tough for the Canadians in Astana, but Andreescu's experience was showcased on court as she was able to prevail. Part of that was due to her 2019 US Open triumph. "That final helped me in this moment today because it is obviously not easy playing against a crowd," Andreescu commented. "But in a way that makes me try even harder so I can quieten the crowd."

Last year's semi-finalists Ukraine are much closer to the finals having blasted out into a 2-0 lead against Poland. They fielded a strong lineup in Kyiv. Marta Kostyuk sent an ominous message after thrashing Magda Linette 6-4, 6-0 before world number seven Elina Svitolina repeated the events with an eye-catching 6-2, 6-1 win against Katarzyna Kawa.

Belinda Bencic put Switzerland in front against the Czech Republic, but Linda Noskova was able to get her country back level with Slovenia and Spain are level pegging after the first singles clashes. The final three ties will shortly commence with spots in the final on the line for seven fortunate nations.