From panic to punchline: Jasmine Paolini’s reaction after a hair‑thin win at the Italian Open
Jasmine Paolini has begun her Italian Open title defence with a hard-fought win. The defending champion, who defeated Coco Gauff in the final last year, found herself trailing after the opening set against France’s Leolia Jeanjean.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images Jasmine Paolini has begun her Italian Open title defence with a hard-fought win. The defending champion, who defeated Coco Gauff in the final last year, found herself trailing after the opening set against France’s Leolia Jeanjean. Paolini, however, responded by taking control of the match and eventually secured a 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 victory.
She’ll now move on to face Elise Mertens for a spot in the quarter-finals. The pair have met six times previously, with Mertens leading their head-to-head record 4-2. After dropping the opening set on a tiebreak, Paolini regrouped and took control of the match from there.
Speaking afterwards, she explained how she shifted her approach to find success in the second and third sets. Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images Jasmine Paolini describes the Rome opener as ‘a really tough one’ Speaking after the match, Paolini said: “It was a really tough one. I was a little bit nervous.
“A lot of ups and downs. She played, I think, a great match. She already qualified and won one match in the main draw.