PREVIEW Billie Jean King Cup Semifinals: Italy's Jasmine Paolini and Ukraine's Elina Svitolina set to clash for place in the final

Ukraine and Italy are set to clash in the first Billie Jean King Cup semi-final, challenging for a place in the final. Jasmine Paolini and Elina Svitolina will lock horns in a highly anticipated tie, with Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Marta Kostyuk heading off the fixture.

It was a historic victory for Ukraine over five-time winners Spain in the quarter-final, overcoming the team led by former world number two Paula Badosa to confirm their place in the last four for the first time. It does not get any trickier than this, with Italy looking to make it back-to-back finals after triumphing last year. They have beaten the Ukrainians in their two previous meetings in 2010 and 2012, both at the quarter-final stage. The winner will either face Great Britain or the United States in the final in Shenzhen, China.

The semi-finals will kick off with 24-year-old Cocciaretto looking to give Italy the upper hand going into the second match. Making her debut on the team at the tender age of 17 in 2018, she was a part of the group that made finals in 2023 and 2024.

Her experience will come in vital when facing off against the Ukrainian number two. Kostyuk comes into the match in terrific form, making three Masters 1000 quarter-finals in 2025, while recently making the fourth round of the US Open before sweeping aside Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first quarter-final tie.

Kostyuk ranks a lot higher than her opponent, but will still be under pressure to clinch the result needed to put them in a prime position to send them to their maiden final. Kostyuk is a big hitter, with Cocciaretto braced to be hurled a barrage from her opponent. If she can weather through that, then she leaves herself a great chance.

The pair are not strangers to each other. They have already met twice this year, both at Grand Slams. Unfortunately for the Italian, her progress in each event had been halted by Svitolina, who defeated her at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, coming back from a set down in both.

The two-time Grand Slam finalist was key in Italy's victory in the competition last year, and could be again relied on to keep their hopes alive, depending on the first match. She has added a Masters 1000 title earlier this year in Rome, as well as recently reaching the Cincinnati Open final. This boasts that the 29-year-old is in good form on the hardcourt surface, and it showed after fighting her way back to seal the Italian's spot in the semi-finals against China's Xinyu Wang.

Svitolina is looking to upset the party, but will have to replicate her previous good form against the world number nine. It could become a tactical affair for the Ukrainian, with Paolini likely to feature in the doubles. If Ukraine find themselves in a one point deficit, Svitolina may want to make her opponent work as hard as possible, with a doubles match in the wings if the scores are level.

It is key for the Ukrainians to win this match and not let it go to a decider, with Italy boasting one of the best doubles pairings in the world with Sara Errani and Paolini. The pair won at Roland Garros earlier in the year, with Errani defending her US Open mixed doubles triumph in the revamped event.

The Ukrainians do boast a good duo themselves, with twins Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok previously making a name for themselves by winning four titles together on the WTA circuit.