Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to win a WTA Tour title on Sunday! With that victory, she became the first Italian player in 40 years to win the Italian Open, defeating American Coco Gauff in the women’s singles final of 6-4, 6-2. The Italian women’s last winner of this historic tournament was Raffaella Reggi back in 1985. Their final played out in front of a raucous home crowd. One of the fans in attendance was Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella, and he applauded vigorously as Paolini put on a star performance.
Paolini was more of the aggressive shot-maker throughout the match and made her mark right from the start by winning the fourth game to go up 3-1. She kept her composure the entire match, showing tremendous poise and maturity to close out matches in tough moments. Her win against Gauff is the greatest upset of her career. Besides winning her first world championship title, this accomplishment should propel her extremely high up the world rankings, though her exact ranking remains top secret for now.
Besides her singles success, Paolini won the tournament’s women’s doubles final with partner Sara Errani. The pair displayed astonishing tenacity as they overcame a 4.0 to 0.0 hole. They scratched and clawed and dug deep to pull off the upset over Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens, 6-4, 7-5. This milestone adds a special layer to Paolini’s day of history at the Italian Open.
“It doesn’t seem real to me,” – Jasmine Paolini
Following her singles match, Gauff assessed what went well and what she needs to work on.
“Maybe I could have served better and put more balls in the court,” – Coco Gauff
“I definitely could and can. But she played to win today and she deserved to win.” – Coco Gauff
“With the double faults, it’s something I know I have to improve,” – Coco Gauff
Paolini’s win strengthens her growing stature in the sport. Furthermore, it encourages young Italian footballers to strive to realize their dreams. She’s become one of the driving forces behind the success of women’s tennis in Italy, helping to make her country one of the world powers in her sport. Winning the Italian Open now unlocks thrilling new realms for her career. Today, she prepares to defend her title at the French Open, beginning on May 25.
In the meantime, Paolini is basking in her hard-earned fame. In the other men’s semi-final on Sunday, Jannik Sinner – Italian – will take on Carlos Alcaraz, highlighting the modest Italian ‘battleship’ presence at this year’s Wimbledon. Paolini’s accomplishments are certainly creating big shoes to fill for her fellow countrywomen, but are fueling optimism for the future of Italian tennis.
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