The 2025 Billie Jean King Cup finals will take place from September 16 to 21 at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre in China. Eight teams will compete in a knockout format, starting with the quarterfinals on September 16 and concluding with the final on September 21.
Team Italy are the defending champions this year, captained by Tathiana Garbin and led by Jasmine Paolini. They will face competition from the likes of Kazakhstan, China, USA, Japan, Great Britain, Spain and Ukraine.
Day One of the Billie Jean King Cup finals will feature the first quarterfinal between Italy and China. Before we take a look at the predictions, let’s check out their squad members for Tuesday.
Team Italy – Jasmine Paolini, Lucia Bronzetti, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Tyra Caterina Grant, and Sara Errani.
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Team China - Xin Yu Wang, Yue Yuan, Xinyu Jiang, Xinyu Wang and Shuai Zhang.
The Shenzhen crowd will be firmly behind China as they seek to upset the defending champions on home turf. Without further ado, let's look at the potential matches and predictions for Day One at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
1) Jasmine Paolini vs Wang Xinyu
First up, Jasmine Paolini will take on Wang Xin Yu in the singles round.
Paolini is a force to be reckoned with on the women's tour. Apart from a title-winning run in Rome, she secured a runner-up finish in Cincinnati and reached the third round in New York. The Italian defeated Destanee Aiava and Iva Jovic but lost to Marketa Vondrousova at the US Open.
Meanwhile, Wang Xin Yu has had an optimistic season so far. Apart from a runner-up finish in Berlin, she reached the semifinals in Singapore, Prague and Cleveland. The 23-year-old will enter the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after a second-round exit in New York.
Both players have chalked up impressive results this season. The home crowd will push Xin Yu to raise her level, but Paolini should be able to outlast her opposite number in this bout.
Predicted Winner: Jasmine Paolini
2) Lucia Bronzetti vs Yue Yuan
Next up, Lucia Bronzetti will take on Yue Yuan in the second singles round.
Bronzetti has had a quiet season so far. After a runner-up finish in Cluj-Napoca, she reached the third round in Indian Wells and the last 16 in Cincinnati. She also participated in the US Open, but lost to Tereza Valentova in the first round.
Yuan, on the other hand, has had an ordinary season so far. After a quarterfinal exit in Rosamalen, she reached the third round in Cincinnati and the first round in New York. Despite a valiant effort against Liudmila Samsonova, the Russian outfoxed her at the US Open, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Despite Yuan's shaky form, she should be able to give her country some hope against Bronzetti. If the Chinese begins well, she is most likely to defeat the inconsistent Italian in the quarterfinals of the Billie Jean King Cup finals.
Predicted Winner: Yue Yuan
3) Sara Errani / Jasmine Paolini vs Zhuai Shang / Xinyu Jiang
Lastly, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini will take on Zhuai Shang and Xinyu Jiang in the doubles round.
Errani and Paolini have had a remarkable season so far. After title-winning runs in Doha, Rome and Paris, they reached the semifinals in Cincinnati and New York. The Italians also secured a runner-up finish in Berlin, where they lost to Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls in three sets.
Meanwhile, Xinyu Jiang and Zhang Shuai haven't played too much doubles together. Jiang secured a runner-up finish in Cleveland alongside Chan Hao-Ching, and Shuai secured a runner-up finish in Montreal with Taylor Townsend.
Both teams possess immense quality to make a difference in this bout. Considering Errani and Paolini's results at the highest level, they should be able to pass this round.
Predicted Winner: Jasmine Paolini / Sara Errani
