Twenty-eight-year-old Jasmine Paolini, riding the wave of Italian tennis, defeated teenage star Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-1 to reach the final of Roland-Garros.
For the first time in the Open Era, both the men’s and women’s semifinals in singles feature an Italian.
Andreeva, 17, is the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist since Hingis, 16, in 1997 at the US Open.
At just five feet four inches, Paolina has a lot of energy and a lot of power. She is quick around the court. She hits with heavy topspin, and she has a good all-around game. She’s also playing in the women’s doubles final with fellow Italian Sara Errani.
In the first set, Paolini played with consistency and confidence and quickly led 3-1. Serving in the next game, she saved three break points for a 4-1 lead. Andreeva held, and then Paolini saved another break point with a deft drop shot.
In the second set, at 1-all, the Italian broke, and continued her winning…
Leave a reply