Billie Jean King Cup Finals: Italy eye hat-trick of titles as tennis star set to collide

New Delhi: Italy will have their eyes firmly set on the prize when they take the stage for the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China, from September 22 to 27.

The Italian side is looking for its third straight title after having won the previous two titles of the tournament, which is also known as the Women’s World Cup of Tennis.

Jasmine Paolini, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, will headline the Italian squad that also features veteran Sara Errani, with whom Paolini won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics in the doubles event.

The squad also features the likes of Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Lucia Bronzetti and Tyra Grant, with Tathiana Garbin the captain. Meanwhile, the eight-team tournament also presents some other strong players.

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, Grand Slam winners Linda Noskova and Elena Rybakina, and top 20 stars in the world, including Karolina Muchova, Jasmine Paolini and Elina Svitolina.

China will feature the likes of Zheng Qinwen, Wang Xiyu, Zhang Shuai, Guo Hanyu and Jiang Xinyu, with Zheng Jie the skipper. Elina Svitolina will be leading Ukraine's charge, with Marta Kostyuk also present.

For Britain, Katie Boulter leads the charge, while Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova will look to pose the challenge from Czechia. Current World No.2 Elena Rybakina will lead Kazakhstan's challenge. Agencies

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