Italy beats Slovenia to reach Billie Jean King Cup final for first time since 2013
SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — Italy reached its first final of the Billie Jean King Cup in a decade on Saturday after beating Slovenia in both singles matches for a 2-0 victory.
It will face either Canada or the Czech Republic on Sunday.
Martina Trevisan beat Kaja Juvan 7-6, 6-3 in the opening singles match of the semifinal after breaking her opponent three times. Jasmine Paolini gave the Italians an insurmountable lead after seeing off Tamara Zidansek 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Four-time champion Italy last reached the final in 2013.
“What they have done, it’s something incredible,” Italian captain Tathiana Garbin said. “We want always to push ourselves to the limit, and we try to dream again tomorrow.”
Juvan double-faulted on set point in the tiebreaker and let Trevisan take the lead.
Trevisan was pushed to tears at one moment from the tension.
“I had to be happy because I won the set, but I was crying,” she said. “Too many emotions to manage. But the heart and head were there, so I’m very happy.”
Zidansek’s serve also betrayed her in the second match when the Slovenian doubled-faulted to cede her service game and fall behind 5-3.
Slovenia was playing its first semifinal at the competition.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis