Jasmine Paolini stunned veteran player Elena Rybakina in a back-and-forth match to make it to her maiden Grand Slam semi-final. She won 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, in a match that lasted two hours and three minutes at Roland Garros.
Celebrating her win, Paolini declared: “It’s an unbelievable feeling.” Now, she is set to battle against Russian youngster Mirra Andreeva, who achieved her career-best victory by eliminating the Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka at the age of 17.
Highlights of the game
Paolini made a great start, breaking Rybakina in the first game with no symptoms of nervousness. She capitalized on her opponent’s inconsistent play by winning her first three games with a remarkable cross-court forehand.
Rybakina only managed one point off of Paolini’s serve as the Italian closed off the set 6-2 after breaking once more. In the decisive set, the wind hindered both players and made it difficult for them to be consistent with unforced errors and serve breaks.
Paolini then secured the greatest victory in her career thus far, thanks to a long backhand from Rybakina, which was her 48th unintentional mistake.
The Paris audience supported her driven performance against Rybakina, whom she defeated for the second time in her nine-year career.
“It was a really tough match. I was a bit too emotional in the second set,” Paolini remarked.
“I said to myself, ‘OK, it is good. [Rybakina] is a great champion so it can happen’. I tried to hit every ball and it worked, I am here… I managed to come back and I just accept that and fight again. Thank you guys, thank you very much for cheering for me,” she added.
Source: BBC