Ukraine stun holders Italy to reach first Billie Jean King Cup final

SHENZHEN, China, Sept 26 - Ukraine's Elina Svitolina and Anhelina Kalinina swept aside twice defending champions Italy in the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals on Saturday, sending the country to the final for the first time and setting up a showdown with Czech Republic.

World No. 48 Kalinina laid the foundation for victory with a 6-3 6-4 win over 18-year-old Italian Tyra Caterina Grant, ranked 102 places below her.

Australian Open semi-finalist Svitolina then faced former French Open and Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini, but the 32-year-old needed little time to stamp her authority on the match, cruising to a 6-2 6-2 win to seal an unassailable 2-0 lead.

The world No. 7 broke Paolini three times in the opening set and added two more breaks in the second to complete the win in one hour and three minutes.

The victory also gave Ukraine revenge for last year's 2-1 semi-final defeat by Italy. It was achieved despite the absence of world No. 10 Marta Kostyuk, sidelined by a wrist injury.

Ukraine now face the Czech Republic, who booked their first Billie Jean King Cup final outing since 2018. Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova secured straight-sets wins against Spain, keeping the Czechs on course for a 12th title.

Italy lifted the trophy in each of the last two years, including a 2-0 victory over record 18-times champions the United States in last year's final, to take their tally in the premier women's team competition to six titles. REUTERS