Jasmine Paolini has pulled off a massive shock by stunning the world number two, Iga Swiatek, in straight sets at the Wuhan Open.
The Italian ran out a 6-1, 6-2 winner against Swiatek to keep alive Paolini’s hopes of qualifying for the WTA Finals, which are set to take place in Riyadh next month.
Swiatek praised Paolini ahead of this match, and perhaps she showed the Italian a little bit too much respect during the quarterfinal clash.
Paolini sent a message to Clara Tauson after she retired from the last 16 match, and clearly, she saved a fair bit of energy from that one to take into the match with Swiatek.
Paolini was the star of the show at the Billie Jean King Cup recently, with Italy winning the title for a second successive year.
After the match with Swiatek, Paolini quickly had her sights set on a mouthwatering semifinal with Coco Gauff.
- READ MORE: Coco Gauff opponent called ‘annoying’
What Jasmine Paolini said about Coco Gauff after beating Iga Swiatek
It would appear that Paolini is in a good frame of mind going into the match with Gauff and both players will be up for an entertaining match.
Paolini was asked about her next opponent just minutes after beating Swiatek and it would appear that she’s a big fan of Gauff.
She said in her on-court interview: “I am so happy. Every time I play against her, it’s so tough. Finally, I won a match! I am super happy about my level. She is an amazing player, and to me, it means a lot to play a match like that against a player like Iga.
“It’s another tough opponent. Coco is playing amazing. Such a consistent player. Every week she is playing very good. It’s going to be tough. It’s a semifinal so that is normal. But I am super happy I am in the semifinal here in Wuhan. It just feels amazing.”
What Jill Craybas said about Jasmine Paolini
The former American player was doing commentary for the match on The Tennis Channel and she had some kind words about Paolini after her huge victory.
She said: “That was some of the best tennis I have seen her play from start to finish. I love the fact that even after the first set it never wavered. You can think that it was a relatively quick first set against someone like Iga, who is not used to people dominating in the first set but she did.
“She dictated the play and knew she had to be super aggressive from the start and she sustained it.
“She had only three unforced errors throughout the entire match. 20 from Iga, but a lot of that had to do with how well Paolini was playing. She was forcing Iga to go for a little bit more.”
After reaching two Grand Slam finals in 2024, Paolini hasn’t really kicked on this year, but her end-of-the-year has been particularly impressive.
Now, the challenge will be to try and collect some silverware, make the WTA Finals and then use this form as momentum heading into the Australian Open in January.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
