The Italian reign in the Billie Jean King Cup ends without appeal on Saturday in Shenzhen. The Italians' path towards a historic trio was interrupted in a semi-final in which Ukraine took all four sets played during the two matches. A Tyra Grant on her national team debut loses 6-3 6-4 to Anhelina Kalinina, while Jasmine Paolini - against an Elina Svitolina in the form of her best days - for once doesn't succeed in the overtime she is used to in blue and loses with a double 6-2. For the girls from Kiev it will be the first time in the final ever in the tournament, and tomorrow they will face the favorites Czechia.
In the morning it's time to make choices for captain Tathiana Garbin, after the difficulties of Elisabetta Cocciaretto not at her best in the quarter against China. The choice falls on 18-year-old Grant, who doesn't think it's true: regardless of the result, it's an investiture. During the anthem her eyes shine, and with her hair tied with a tricolor ribbon she begins her match without feeling the pressure. In the fifth game, however, comes Kalinina's break, which begins to make the one hundred position difference in the WTA rankings (48 against 150) noticeable and to move the Italian, who is unable to keep up, around the court. Then, in the second set, the young Roman gave up serve at the start and - despite fighting and making her opponent sweat even on match points - there was no comeback.
Once again, therefore, Paolini, already the architect of the feat on Thursday, is called to be the protagonist. Things, however, got complicated right from the start, with a nightmare start that put Svitolina ahead 3-0 with two breaks ahead. The Garfagnana reacts, but at the moment of the possible connection at 3-2 a couple of mini-opportunities vanish and the match, from then on, slips away. The image of the second set - without history from the beginning, with the Ukrainian team even going up to 4-0 - portrays her with her head buried under the towel during a change of court, with the bitterness of a set that slips away. "I'm really, really proud of them because they gave everything they could every time.
Jasmine played an incredible match the other day and was a little tired - Garbin's comment -, Tyra played for the first time and it's never easy: I have a lot of confidence in her and I chose her despite a high-level opponent. But above all I am happy with everything we have done in recent years. The girls have always expressed a great level and an exemplary attitude." "Now it's difficult to see all the positive aspects, but I'm happy to have had this opportunity - says Grant -. It was an important step for my growth, something that I will carry for the future. I hope it is the first of many". "Unfortunately you can't always win, but for us it was a good tournament. As for me, I also felt better with my foot, we're going in the right direction", says Paolini who keeps her glass half full.
The bad day for Italian tennis continues in the Laver Cup with Flavio Cobolli losing to Learner Tien in the super tiebreak: the American wins 6-3 2-6 10-7. After the Milanese interlude with Fashion Week, alongside Aryna Sabalenka and Anna Wintour, Jannik Sinner's work continues with a view to a return that does not skip ahead and compromise his knee.
