"Honestly, we didn’t expect to win because they are so strong" - Jasmine Paolini delighted but surprised with Billie Jean King Cup triumph

Italian number one Jasmine Paolini was absolutely delighted after helping her country complete back-to-back Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup triumphs. They beat the United States 2-0 in Shenzhen, China, to claim their sixth title.

En route to the final, they defeated China 2-0 and Ukraine 2-1, with Paolini stepping up in the singles and doubles. It would be, on paper, a very tough final, with the USA boasting some extremely talented players, including the likes of Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro.

They overcame Kazakhstan in three matches before just squeezing past Great Britain as they went on the hunt for a record-breaking 19th victory and a first since 2017.

The first match saw world number 18 Navarro take on Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Despite the huge disparity in ranking points, the Italian nicked an early break of throw before dictating the rest of the set brilliantly to have the upper hand. The American broke in the second set to make it 4-2, but Cocciaretto went on to win the remaining four games and cause a huge upset to begin this BJK Cup final.

Two-time Grand Slam finalist Paolini would then take to the court, facing off against recent US Open semi-finalist Jessica Pegula. The first set was stuck on serve, despite Pegula's efforts to clinch a break point. Paolini saved four opportunities before finding a break of her own to win set one.

In a complete contrast, the second set featured pretty much only breaks. Pegula grabbed the first one, but was unable to stop Paolini from racing into a 5-1 lead. The American broke back to make it 5-2, while also saving three match points. The Italian would not squander any more chances, as she found another break of serve to win the title once more for Italy.

In an interview after the match, she said: "It's amazing, I didn’t expect that. I don’t know what to say—I just want to thank all the team, the players, the support team. They are amazing. The captain, everybody who is there who might not be listening right now. And of course, the crowd—the Italian crowd, the Chinese crowd—it was really great. It’s always amazing to play this competition. I really like to play the Billie Jean King Cup.

"I also want to thank the tournament director and, of course, Billie Jean King. This competition is amazing. It’s very well organised here in China, as always, and it was a lovely week here in Shenzhen. I just want to thank everybody—it was unbelievable."

It was a mighty effort from the Italian team to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 2010. Despite their recent success, Paolini stated that she did not think they were going to win with how strong the American team were.

"It was so tough. This year we played amazing teams," Paolini said. "Today against the United States—it was really tough. Honestly, we didn’t expect to win because they are so strong and they play amazing tennis. That’s why we’re really happy about this win, because we knew it would be difficult. I don’t know if this year is even more special than last year—it’s different. But honestly, I didn’t expect this."

The two singles wins meant that recent US Open mixed doubles champion Sara Errani did not even have to step out on court. She and Paolini have also won Roland Garros together this year, and would have proved to be a tough test for the Americans if it would have gone that far.

It did not, though, as Italy continue to stamp their authority in tennis, as they target three in a row in 2026.