And 5 for Italy: eleven years after its last title in the BJK Cup, the transalpine selection won a new coronation on Wednesday in Malaga, confirming the insolent health of Italian tennis already at the top, among men, by world No.1 Jannik Sinner.
As soon as Jasmine Paolini's decisive victory was achieved, the entire Italian bench roared with happiness and rushed to embrace their leader before beginning a lap of honor in an enclosure overwhelmingly won by the transalpine camp.
The finals are sometimes the simplest matches: after having sweated blood and water to beat Japan 2-1 in the quarter-final and Poland of world No.2 Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, Tathiana Garbin's players easily won their two singles against Slovakia, sparing themselves a decisive double which is always dangerous.
Lucia Bronzetti (78th) saw off Viktoria Hruncakova (238th) 6-2, 6-4 in the first match, before world No.4 Jasmine Paolini swept Rebecca Sramkova (43rd) 6-2, 6-1.
Before this 5th coronation, Italy had already triumphed in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013 in the competition which was then called the Fed Cup.
It was the time of the greatness of Francesca Schiavone, winner of Roland-Garros in 2010, and Flavia Pennetta, winner of the US Open five years later.
But at the time, Italy was struggling to distinguish itself on the men's circuit.
Everything changed today with the domination of world No.1 Jannik Sinner, winner of two Grand Slams in 2024 and the ATP Masters in Turin on Sunday, his first victory in his country.
“It’s been an incredible year for Italian tennis,” said Jasmine Paolini at a press conference. “We have many fans in the country, tennis is growing enormously,” she added.
At 28, the Italian appeared on Wednesday as the leader of a united Italian selection and hilarious at the evocation of the atmosphere in the group and the fiery card games “after dinner”.
“All my players were smiling during the competition, trying to enjoy this moment”, a harmony “not easy” to find according to captain Tathiana Garbin.
– Sinner enters the fray on Thursday –
By returning to victory in the BJK Cup on Wednesday, Italy took over from Canada, who had just beaten the Italians in the final of the 2023 edition.
Surprise defeat of the United States in the first round of the final phase, Slovakia conversely failed to win a second title after that of 2002.
For Viktoria Hruncakova, who spoke alongside a tearful Rebecca Sramkova, “the time is now for sadness”.
“But what we have done here is absolutely incredible and I think we will need a few hours, maybe a few days to achieve it,” she added.
Slovak captain Matej Liptak is also “dejected today, but very happy for the future with this result”.
In the first singles, Bronzetti easily won the first set 6-2. The second round was more uncertain. Hruncakova took her opponent's serve with a shutout to lead 4-2.
But Bronzetti's slump did not last: the Italian immediately broke, before easily pocketing her serve and in turn taking that of Hruncakova with a shutout.
Stunned by the turn of the match, the Slovak lost the next four points, Bronzetti winning on her first match point on a winning service.
Later in the evening, Paolini was put in danger by Sramkova on her third service game.
But she brushed aside the break point to win the game (3-2) and then break the Slovak (4-2). The hardest part was done for the Italian, who flew through the rest of the game to win 6-2, 6-1 and capsize the Italian camp with happiness.
The party may not be over yet.
Led by its champion Jannik Sinner, the Italian men's team, winner of the Davis Cup in 2023, enters the fray on Thursday in Malaga against Argentina in the quarter-finals to try to defend its title.
dga/bdu
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