Paolini leads Italy's comeback over Japan to reach BJK Cup semis

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Iga Swiatek won in singles and doubles to lead Poland's 2-1 comeback against the Czech Republic in the Billie Jean King Cup on Saturday.

Poland will meet Italy in the semifinals after Jasmine Paolini likewise won her singles and doubles matches to lead Italy back for a 2-1 win over Japan.

Marie Bouzkova beat Magdalena Frech 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to give the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead on the indoor hard court in Malaga’s Palacio del Deportes.

The second-ranked Swiatek leveled the score after she held on for a 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-5 win over Linda Noskova.

The five-time Grand Slam winner then went back on the court after a short break to help Katarzyna Kawa beat Katerina Siniakova, the world's top-ranked doubles player, and Bouzkova 6-2, 6-4.

“Let’s enjoy this one. For sure it was an exhausting day and some really tough matches, but I am really happy we won that last one,” Swiatek said.

She added that she hadn’t played doubles in three years and praised Kawa's well-placed passing shots in the doubles lane as key to victory.

Swiatek showed no sign that she was worn down by the back-to-back matches that combined for 3 hours, 50 minutes of playing time. The Polish pair converted all four break chances and hit more winners, 29-18, than the Czechs.

Poland is seeking its first title. The Czech Republic is an 11-time champion, second only to the United States’ 18 titles.

Italy eyes shot at consecutive finals

The fourth-ranked Paolini, a finalist at Wimbledon and the French Open, defeated Moyuka Uchijima 6-3, 6-4 to level the tie 1-1. She then helped Sara Errani beat Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi 6-3, 6-4 to seal the quarterfinal win.

Japan took the early lead when Ena Shibahara defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Uchijima stole Paolini’s first service game. But that was only a blip in an otherwise dominant showing by the Italian. Paolini broke Uchijima four times and hit 17 forehand winners to secure the straight-set victory.

In doubles, the Italians broke the Japanese four times and made just 14 unforced errors to 23 by their rivals.

“Japan is a tough cookie, as you say in English,” Italy captain Tathiana Garbin said. “They played with a lot of courage so it was fun to watch this kind of level. My players, they played unbelievable doubles, so we made it.”

Italy lost last year’s final to Canada.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis