Italy leads Romania 1-0 in Billie Jean King Cup, after victory of Elisabetta Cocciaretto

The Italian women's tennis team leads the Romanian team, 1-0, after Elisabetta Cocciaretto defeated Irina Maria Bara, 6-1, 6-4, on Friday, in the Billie Jean King Cup play-offs, in the Polyvalent Hall in western Cluj-Napoca. Cocciaretto (20 years old, WTA's 111st) prevailed in one hour and 29 minutes over the Romanian team's first racket (26 years old, WTA's 132nd). The two teams have faced each other three times so far, v for Italy in direct matches. Italy won in 1975, in the second round of the World Group, 2-1, in Aix-en-Provence (France), the pair Virginia Ruzici/Mariana Simionescu bringing the point to our team. Romania's only victory was in 1978, in Melbourne, in the first round of the World Group, 2-1, the victories being obtained by Virginia Ruzici and the pair made up of Ruzici/Simionescu. The last match took place in 1997, in Bari, Italy winning, 2-1 in the first round of Group I of the Europe/Africa zone. Alina Tecsor obtained the only victory of our team. Romania cannot count on Simona Halep, world number three, and Patricia Tig (WTA's 63rd), both injured, while Italy's first racket, Camila Giorgi (WTA's 81st), tested positive for COVID-19.AGERPRES(RO - editor: Mihai Tenea; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Maria Voican)