BJK CUP: Italian clinch fifth title after beating Slovakia

Italy earned their fifth Billie Jean King Cup title and their first since 2013 with a 2-0 (4-0 in sets) victory over 2002 champions Slovakia on Wednesday in Malaga, Spain.

“It’s really a dream come true,” Italian captain Tathiana Garbin said on court. “I have such great champions, great players, but mostly, great human beings. I’m so proud of them, they fight every day.”

“It was not easy, because we are in the final so every match is tough, but I’m very happy to bring this point to Italy,” Bronzetti said on court after her win. “We all want this trophy, and it is our dream, all Italians.”

Lucia Bronzetti started the day with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova in the opening match of the final tie. World No.78 Bronzetti needed 1 hour and 21 minutes to take down Hruncakova, a former Top 50 player currently ranked No.238.

World No.4 Jasmine Paolini then came on court to clinch the trophy, besting 43rd-ranked Rebecca Sramkova 6-2, 6-1. Paolini, one of this year’s WTA Player of the Year nominees, took just 65 minutes to seal the title.

Overall, Italy has been one of the top nations at the Billie Jean King Cup this century. They won their first Billie Jean King Cup title in 2006 and added more trophies in 2009, 2010 and 2013.

Italy went one better at the event than they did last year, where they finished runner-up to first-time champions Canada. This was their second straight win over Slovakia — they also ousted the Slovaks in the qualifying rounds last year.