On Sunday in Shenzhen, Team Italy doubled up; stamping their name twice over at the Billie Jean King Cup, crowned champions again in 2025 on the hard courts of Shenzhen Bay Sports Center Arena. Having been tested by China and Ukraine in the earlier rounds, the Azzurre came into the final with the weight of expectation and the sharp memory of last year’s triumph—and they walked out with a sixth title, their second in as many seasons, silencing any notion of a one-off miracle.

Elisabetta Cocciaretto set the tone from the jump. Facing Emma Navarro, Cocciaretto broke in the opening game and never let go of her grip. Navarro threatened, even broke back in the second set, but Cocciaretto answered with poise. Four straight games slammed the door, 6-4, 6-4, handing Italy the 1-0 lead. It wasn’t flashy, but was a performance defined with fortitude and precision.

Then came Jasmine Paolini. The closer. The leader. The heart of the team. If Cocciaretto was the spark, Paolini was the fuel for the fire. Facing Jessica Pegula—the American team's ace, a player she had lost to five straight times—Paolini finally flipped the script. She broke Pegula with a fearless two-handed backhand down the line to take the first set 6-4, then stormed ahead in the second. If you’ve watched Paolini enough, you know she often struggles to close and today would be no different. At 5-1, serving for the match, the nerves started to creep in. Pegula saved three match points, forcing Paolini to wrestle with the tension. The errors came, the break followed, but Paolini dug in and found her resolve. On her fourth match point, Pegula’s backhand clipped the tape and redirected to the alley. Paolini raised her arms. 6-4, 6-2. Back-to-back titles clinched. 

For Paolini, this was a redemption win. Her first victory over Pegula in six tries. Her third singles win of the week, along with a gritty doubles triumph alongside Sara Errani in the semifinal against Ukraine. Paolini’s fingerprints are all over Italy’s title defense, further positioning herself as one of the defining figures in a global game.

The United States, the most decorated nation in the tournament’s history, hasn’t touched the trophy since 2017. Against Italy, they’re haunted—six straight losses in BJK Cup ties. Even with Pegula and Navarro leading the charge, they couldn’t solve the puzzle. Italy’s chemistry, belief, and refusal to flinch under pressure told the story.

This triumph also marks the first time since the Czech Republic’s three-peat (2014–2016) that a nation has gone back-to-back at the Billie Jean King Cup. For Italy, it cements a golden era. Six titles now sit in their cabinet, each carrying its own story, but none more emphatic than these last two.

In Shenzhen, Italy’s victory was about trust, resilience, and defining a collective destiny. Cocciaretto and Paolini not only beat Navarro and Pegula, they created history against some formidable opponents and overdelivered against steep expectations. And in doing so, they reaffirmed to the tennis world that Italian tennis is still the wave.