In a remarkable display of tennis prowess, Italy clinched their fifth Billie Jean King Cup title. Led by the inspired Jasmine Paolini, they defeated Slovakia 2-0 in the final held in Malaga. Paolini's tennis masterclass was on full display as she triumphed over Rebecca Sramkova with a convincing 6-2 6-1 score in the second singles rubber. Lucia Bronzetti had earlier set the stage by overcoming Viktoria Hruncakova 6-2 6-4 in the opening singles rubber. This victory came a year after Italy's heartbreaking defeat to Canada in the decider and over a decade since their last title in 2013. The charismatic Paolini not only demolished Sramkova but also celebrated wildly with her teammates and jubilant Italian fans, including men's world No 1 Jannik Sinner.

Emotional Moments on the Court

An emotional Paolini expressed her feelings on court, saying, "It’s unbelievable, amazing. I don’t have words to describe how I feel right now. It’s just incredible." She added, "I think we played an unbelievable week and I’m so proud of how we did it in every match. I’m very happy that this year we finally were able to bring the title back to Italy."

Paolini's Breakout Year

Paolini's victory capped an astonishing breakout year. Coming from relative obscurity, she finished as the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon. The 28-year-old also achieved Olympic gold for Italy in the women's doubles alongside Davis Cup team-mate Sara Errani. Paolini and Errani had won the decisive doubles matches in their victories over Japan in the quarter-finals and Poland in the last four. Their teamwork and determination were evident throughout the tournament.

Slovakia's Struggle

Slovakia, who had shown great heroics against Great Britain 24 hours earlier, were unable to repeat their feat. They fell behind after Emma Raducanu beat Hruncakova but were unable to come back and lost 2-1. It was a tough defeat for the Slovakian team, but they can take pride in their performance.

Germany's Davis Cup Journey

Germany kept their hopes of winning the Davis Cup alive by beating Canada in Wednesday's quarter-finals. Jan-Lennard Struff rallied to defeat Denis Shapovalov 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) and clinch the victory in the second singles match. Daniel Altmaier had given Germany the first point with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over Gabriel Diallo. Germany will now face the Netherlands on Friday in a bid to reach the final. The Dutch defeated Spain 2-1 on Tuesday, marking Rafael Nadal's retirement from professional tennis.Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.