Nothing to do for Jasmine Paolini in the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 in Madrid. A shame for the Tuscan, who wasted many opportunities, especially in the first set. 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva celebrated her birthday in the best way. The phenomenal Russian, after reaching the round of 16 in Madrid in 2023, forcefully took the quarterfinals a year later. It’s her first time in a WTA 1000.
the match
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The score, 7-6(2) 6-4, does not make it clear how many regrets there are for Paolini. Jasmine had taken a 5-2 lead in the first set, after overcoming a very foul and nervous start, and everything seemed to be going downhill for the Italian, also because the Russian was unable to make a game on serve. From there, almost without warning, Andreeva’s comeback began, with the momentum changing and a tie-break, also there, not played at her best by Paolini.
the second set
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The start of the second set was even more disastrous for the Italian, with a partial 0-4 and a score of 0-5. The comeback attempt was also useless, ending with a 6-4, with the Russian not trembling and thus ending the match. Therefore, on Wednesday, she will be the one to challenge the winner of the big match that will close the day in Madrid between Aryna Sabalenka (to whom she lost a year ago in the fourth round) and Danielle Collins. The Italian number one leaves Madrid with the best result of her career at the Caja Magica given that, before this year, she had never won a match on Spanish clay. A new best ranking is also possible for her. Tuscany, in fact, is virtually n. 12 in the world, but her placement will depend on the results in Madrid of Haddad Maia and Collins.
