Elina Svitolina puts Ukraine into maiden Billie Jean King Cup final

Paolini had been on a 10-game winning streak in the women's World Cup of Tennis but she had no answer to Svitolina, who produced one of the greatest BJK Cup performances in recent memory.

The world No. 7 broke Paolini three times in the opening set and twice more in the second en route to a stunning victory in just an hour and three minutes.

That gave Ukraine an unassailable 2-0 lead after the in-form Anhelina Kalinina had defeated Italian debutant Tyra Grant 6-3 6-4 in the opening singles, and secured an historic final showdown against Czechia on Sunday.

It also saw Ukraine avenge their 2-1 defeat to Italy in last year's semi-finals.

On that occasion, Paolini sparked an Italian fightback with a gritty win over Svitolina in the second singles, but this time it was the Ukrainian who took the honours in a match she dominated almost from start to finish.

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