Jasmine Paolini, the 28-year-old Italian 12th seed, secured her spot in her debut Grand Slam final by defeating Russia’s Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-1 in Paris on Thursday.
She will face the world No. 1 and three-time champion Iga Swiatek in the French Open final at Roland Garros on Saturday.
Paolini showcased her composure against Andreeva, a rising star in tennis, who is expected to have more chances to excel on the grand stage of the sport.
Paolini demonstrated her resilience by saving three break points at 3-1 in the first set right after breaking Andreeva’s serve, propelling herself to a 4-1 lead that proved pivotal.
She repeated this feat at 4-2, thwarting two break points to prevent Andreeva from leveling the score at 3-4 on her serve, putting pressure on her opponent from a disadvantaged position.
The Italian’s impressive first-serve accuracy at 78 per cent, compared to Andreeva’s 65 per cent, played a significant role in the match.
Andreeva struggled behind her second serve, winning only five out of 16 points, while Paolini capitalized on her opportunities, winning eight out of 13 points on her own serve.
Paolini recorded 14 winners against Andreeva’s 11 and committed just 10 unforced errors, a notable difference from the 30 errors made by the 17-year-old.
Paolini’s achievement marks the first time in nine years that an Italian woman has reached a Grand Slam final, following the all-Italian U.S. Open final clash between Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci in 2015.
