BILLIE JEAN KING CUP: ITALY VS CHINA

September 16, 2025

Elisabetta Cocciaretto

Team Italy

Quarter-Final Press Conference

E. COCCIARETTO/Yuan Yue

4-6, 7-5, 7-5

Team Italy - 1

Team China - 0

THE MODERATOR: Elisabetta, congratulations. What was the key to that turnaround?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: For sure it was a tough match. I knew that was a tough opponent. Of course, tough conditions because we are playing against the host country.

So I said to myself to turn up the match, just think about the game and just the strategy and not about the results and the score. Yes, be aggressive and do your game.

Yes, I did pretty well after 5-2. Of course, there was a tough opponent against me, so it wasn't easy. But I'm really happy about the fight and about the match that I win for Italy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. From your reaction, you could see how much it meant to you. Was that one of the best feelings you've had on the court in terms of the fight you put in, clinching it in nearly three hours?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: Yeah, for sure playing for our country is something special. It was a big moment for me when I won the match.

For sure it's not just by for me, but for my country, for my team that are helping us really much. It was for them, for sure, and for our country, because playing for our flag is something special, something to be, yes, like it's really, really special.

Q. There were moments in the match where your opponent, it felt like she couldn't miss. How did you stay present and try not to get ahead of yourself, not look at the score?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: Yes, because I was 5-2 and 4-0 I think in the third. I didn't remember actually (smiling). For sure I tried to think about the game, try to stay in the match, and to do whatever I can to turn up the score.

Q. What was the Captain telling you in those moments, especially in the third set? What was she telling you?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: Yes, she said to me to fight, to be like aggressive, to go for the net, to go for the point, to be aggressive in the court. Yes, just to fight, because she know that I'm a really fight player.

Also in this moment, yes, in this competition, I put more fight in my game because we have extra motivation to be here and to win the match, not just for us but for our country.

Q. You lost the first set, but the second set you lost points first. Being an underdog in the beginning of the game, how did you turn your mind back to win this match?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: For sure I was 5-2 in the second, 4-0 and 5-2 in the third. I said to myself to change my game, to be more aggressive, to go more for the net, to play faster with my hand, and to stay low with the leg, and it helps.

Because at the beginning I wasn't aggressive. She's a really aggressive player. So for sure I have to play my game, to think about just how the strategy to play against her and not, like, thinking something else. I tried to do it and I think it works.

Q. You're getting more excited when it's the end of the match?

ELISABETTA COCCIARETTO: Yes, for sure I was really positive at the end of the match. I said to myself, You have to stay positive, you don't have to think about the set, the match and everything, but just to stay positive, to play aggressive, yes. That's it.