Jasmine Paolini reacts after knocking out Coco Gauff and sends message to American fans in Cincinnati

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Jasmine Paolini continues to remind fans why you should never count her out.

Seemingly low on form and confidence, Paolini had lost two of her last three matches, suffering early exits at Wimbledon and the Canadian Open.

Bouncing back in Cincinnati, the Italian star picked up wins over Maria Sakkari, Ashlyn Krueger, and Barbora Krejcikova to book her place in the quarterfinals.

There, she met Coco Gauff, the number-two seed, who herself was looking to put an end to a poor run of form.

In a wild three-set encounter, it was Paolini who prevailed, defeating Gauff 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, advancing to her first career Cincinnati Open semifinal.

Reacting on-court after her biggest win in months, Paolini had a message for the fans in Ohio.

Jasmine Paolini thanks the Cincinnati Open fans after ‘tough’ win over Coco Gauff

During her on-court interview, Paolini shared her thoughts on the match, having stunned the world number two.

“It was so tough,” she said.

“Coco [Gauff] was playing amazing, and at the beginning, I was just running and trying to move the ball inside the court. It was really tough.

“I think after a little bit, I started to feel better with the ball, because the conditions in the night are a bit different.

“I stayed there every point. I tried to fight every point, and it worked. So I am really happy.”

Paolini proceeded to thank the fans for how they treated her on Centre Court.

“Thank you for cheering as well for me,” she said.

“Because we are in the [United] States. Coco is from here, but thank you as well for cheering for me.”

The win was Paolini’s third in a row against Gauff, as her game continues to trouble the two-time Grand Slam champion.

After losing their first two career meetings, Paolini has completely turned the tide in her rivalry with Gauff, and now leads 3-2 in their head-to-head.

Her biggest win came in the final of the Italian Open earlier this year, when she bested Gauff in straight sets to lift the title in front of her adoring home fans.

Now a two-time WTA 1000 champion, Paolini will no doubt have her sights set on a third in Cincinnati.

Who will Jasmine Paolini have to beat to win the title in Cincinnati?

Next up for Paolini is Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova, the lowest-ranked player remaining in the competition.

The pair have played four previous matches on the WTA Tour, with Paolini winning just one, in Prague, eight years ago.

If she were to pull off a rare win over the 28-year-old in the semis, Paolini would advance to play either Elena Rybakina or Iga Swiatek in the Cincinnati Open final.

Swiatek, Rybakina, and Paolini are all multiple-time WTA 1000 champions, although the Italian has a chance to move ahead of the Kazakh star in the list of ‘active’ winners if she were to pick up the title in Cincinnati.

List of ‘active’ multiple-time WTA 1000 champions

• T-1. Iga Swiatek – 10
• T-1. Victoria Azarenka – 10
• T-3. Aryna Sabalenka – 9
• T-3. Venus Williams – 9
• T-3. Petra Kvitova – 9
• 6. Elina Svitolina – 4
• T-7. Jessica Pegula – 3
• T-7. Caroline Garcia – 3
• T-9. Jasmine Paolini – 2
• T-9. Elena Rybakina – 2
• T-9. Coco Gauff – 2
• T-9. Mirra Andreeva – 2
• T-9. Naomi Osaka – 2
• T-9. Bianca Andreescu – 2
• T-9. Belinda Bencic – 2

Of the trio, Swiatek has been the most successful at the WTA 1000 level, winning ten titles, more than any other active player, except for Victoria Azarenka.

The Pole would surely love to take the top spot for herself, but will be more than aware of the challenges in front of her.

Swiatek will play Rybakina, and Paolini will play Kudermetova in the semifinals of the 2025 Cincinnati Open on Sunday, August 17.