Svitolina and Kalinina star as Ukraine thrash Italy to reach maiden BJK Cup final

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kalinina-anhelina/zNoTPac0/"]Kalinina[/a] put the Ukrainians in front with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/grant-t-c-KECg1Jfi/kalinina-a-zNoTPac0/?mid=pxZxCxbs"]6-3, 6-4[/a] victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/grant-tyra-caterina/KECg1Jfi/"]Tyra Grant[/a] before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/monfils-elina/jyngIesG/"]Svitolina[/a] sealed victory with a crushing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/paolini-j-noaX0EJn/svitolina-e-jyngIesG/?mid=h2xoAGSg"]6-2, 6-2[/a] win against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/paolini-jasmine/noaX0EJn/"]Jasmine Paolini[/a], who had won her last 10 matches in the competition and suffered her first BJK Cup defeat since 2024.[/p][p]Ukraine will take on a strong Czech Republic team, spearheaded by this year's Wimbledon finalists [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noskova-linda/zHMiAkw6/"]Linda Noskova[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/muchova-karolina/Or4Qa1ye/"]Karolina Muchova[/a], in Sunday's championship match at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre.[/p][p][b]"Definitely unbelievable to be fair,"[/b] said Svitolina, who lost to Paolini at the same stage of the competition 12 months ago.[/p][p][b]"I was trying to be really focused. It was a really tough loss for me last year here, so I really had to be focused and really step up my game."[/b][/p][embed guid="8df4774a-a9e6-479c-8ceb-179f946afc3b" url="https://x.com/BJKCup/status/2103824241775042662" social-type="twitter" /][p]Svitolina has been providing financial and operational support for the Ukrainian national team for the past three years through her foundation.[/p][p][b]"It's a really special moment for us, for Ukraine, going through difficult times back home, all the people. It's just unbelievable to get for the first time in the finals here,"[/b] she added.[/p][p]In a rematch of last year's semi-final, Ukraine turned the tables on a team that was looking to reach a fourth consecutive final and clinch a third straight title.[/p][p]After claiming two points for Ukraine with singles and doubles victories against Belgium two days earlier, Kalinina, the world number 48, needed just 86 minutes to overcome a 150th-ranked Grant, who was making her competition debut for Italy.[/p][image alt="Svitolina vs Paolini stats" id="f872059b-2130-4e8a-9d68-bce2ae97bb03" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="d27beeec-8e18-47ea-bf53-1d979b466f70" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Svitolina then stepped on court with a purpose, keen to avoid another defeat after losing her singles clash in Ukraine's 2-1 quarter-final victory over Belgium on Thursday.[/p][p]The world number seven leapt to a double-break lead over Paolini, who briefly cut the deficit but could not hold off a near-flawless Svitolina in the 31-minute opening set.[/p][p][b]Svitolina was in cruise control as she took a seventh game in a row to surge ahead 4-0 in the second set.[/b][/p][p]Paolini briefly stopped the bleeding in game five but looked beaten as she sat at the Italy bench at the changeover, a towel hanging over her head, covering her face in despair.[/p][p]The tie was over three games later as Svitolina fired one winner after the other to claim the 20th BJK Cup win of her career and send Ukraine into a first-ever final.[/p]