Billie Jean King Cup Finals 2024: Iga Swiatek vs Jasmine Paolini preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (POL) Iga Swiatek vs (ITA) Jasmine Paolini
Date: November 18, 2024
Tournament: Billie Jean King Cup
Round: Semifinals
Venue: Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain
Surface: Hard (Indoor)
Prize Money: $9.6 million
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - BBC, Tennis Channel Int. | Canada - CBC, TVA
Iga Swiatek vs Jasmine Paolini preview
Poland's Iga Swiatek will face Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals 2024.
Poland's campaign in the Finals started against Spain. Magda Linette needed almost four hours to win the first singles tie against Sara Sorribes Tormo, which gave them a 1-0 lead. Swiatek then took to the court and was up against former top 10 player Paula Badosa.
Swiatek reeled off four games in a row to take the first set. She led by a break twice in the second set, only for Badosa to claw her way back into the match, and she later gained the upper hand in the tie-break to claim the set. However, the Pole regained control of the proceedings, and dropped only one game in the third set to secure a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 win, and sealed the tie 2-0 in their favor.
Poland then took on the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. They fell behind 1-0 after Magdalena Frech lost to Marie Bouzkova. Swiatek took on Linda Noskova in the next tie. A closely fought first set went the Pole's way in the tie-break.
Noskova struck back and captured the second set but Swiatek wasn't to be denied, who ultimately came out on top with a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-5 win. She teamed up with Katarzyna Kawa to beat Katerina Siniakova and Marie Bouzkova 6-2, 6-4, and qualify for the semifinals with a 2-1 win over their Czech rivals.
Italy received a bye into the quarterfinals, where they faced Japan. Elisabetta Cocciaretto lost her match, which put Paolini in a do-or-die situation when she faced Moyuka Uchijima. The two traded service breaks to start the match after which they remained steady on serve for a while.
Paolini then snagged another break, which helped her clinch the set. While she initially let go of her lead in the second set, she got back on track with another break of serve to register a 6-3, 6-4 win. She joined forces with Sara Errani to beat Eri Hozumi and Shuko Aoyama 6-3, 6-4 and seal the tie 2-1 for Italy.
Iga Swiatek vs Jasmine Paolini head-to-head
Swiatek leads Paolini 3-0 in the head-to-head. She won their most recent meeting in the final of this year's French Open in straight sets.
Iga Swiatek vs Jasmine Paolini odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Iga Swiatek vs Jasmine Paolini prediction
Both players helped their teams flip the script in the quarterfinals. They first came out on top in their singles matches before doing the same in the decisive doubles match to book their spots in the last four.
Swiatek has been tested in both of her singles ties thus far and needed three sets to get the job done. However, given her record against Paolini, her next match is expected to be a walk in the park.
Swiatek has won all three of her matches against Paolini and has dropped only three games per match as well. Given her dominance in this match-up, the Pole will be the heavy favorite to win.
Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.