Jasmine Paolini fights like a lioness, but loses in three sets to Elena Rybakina in Stuttgart

Fight like a lionessBut in the end Jasmine Paolini must give way. Tuscany, which will be able to celebrate its own from next Monday best ranking (n.13 in the world)had to surrender to the power of Kazakhstan Elena Rybakina (world no.4). 6-3 5-7 6-3 the score in quarter-final of the WTA500 in Stuttgart. On the red clay, indoors, an excellent performance from the local tennis player, who gave everything she had to put Rybakina in difficulty, who was good at exploiting moments of great inspiration. However, the quality of Jasmine’s performance remains, as she paid her dues in the presence of a very gifted serving player.

In the first set Paolini’s departure was lightning fast. Quick feet for the 28 year old trained by Renzo Furlan and the break is there. Two games are needed for the Kazakh to register because then the tracers on the German crushed brick arrive. Especially with her backhand, Rybakina is scary, systematically punishing Jasmine for the few first serves she fields. And so comes the counter-break of the fourth game and the break of the sixth. The Italian player has a burst of pride in the ninth game, building two counter-break chances, but “San Servizio” sees and provides for the world no.4 and the 6-3 is reality.

In the second set the Kazakh takes advantage of some uncertainties in the vicinity of Jasmine’s goal to go one break ahead, eliminating a chance for an immediate counter-break. Paolini has the merit of always believing in it and in the eighth game he finds the solutions to his problems. The player shows great tennis, forcing her rival to make difficult moves and reaches her at 4-4. We go to the final close and the eleventh game is decisive for the fraction. A very long game in which the Italian, also with great courage, erases three break points and goes to 6-5. The unexploited chances remain in Elena’s head, who badly loses her turn on the next serve. Tuscany can smile at 7-5.

In the third set Paolini takes advantage of the inertia in her favor and goes ahead 2-0, capitalizing on Rybakina’s many free throws. The Kazakh, however, finds the thread of the conversation with some brilliant plays at the net. With a more vertical game, the world no.4 makes the difference. Finding greater depth in her shots, the 2022 Wimbledon winner turns the situation around, taking the lead at 4-2. Jasmine tries to hang on to the match, but this time there is nothing to do and with the score of 6-3 she brings the curtain down on the match.

Reading the statistics, there were 7 aces from the WTA n.4 and 61% of the points won in response to Paolini’s second serve. Undoubtedly, the discriminating data was the percentage of points won with the second serve: 58% for the Kazakh player compared to 39% for the Italian player.