Overview
- Errani and Paolini beat Aoyama and Hozumi 6-2, 7-5 on Saturday in Velletri to seal a 3-0 sweep and a berth in the Final 8.
- The clincher followed Friday’s singles, when Elisabetta Cocciaretto beat Moyuka Uchijima 7-5, 6-2 and Jasmine Paolini defeated Himeno Sakatsume 6-3, 6-1.
- The tie was played on red clay at the Colle degli Dei complex before about 3,000 fans, and players said the home crowd lifted their play.
- Captain Tathiana Garbin urged focus after the 2-0 start, and the team described both early nerves and the joy of competing at home.
- Italy, champion in 2024 and 2025, advances to Shenzhen, where China has the host spot and seven other nations qualify through ties like this.