Mission accomplished for Jasmine Paolini. The Tuscan tennis player reached the round of 16 of Roland Garros, after overcoming the Canadian Bianca Andreescu in a treacherous third round match (6-1 3-6 6-0). The match was essentially dominated by the young Italian, with the exception of a small moment of slippage in the second set. A match, however, destined to generate controversy: the third set, in fact, was played under a light drizzle.
Roland Garros, excellent start for Paolini against Andreescu
Sharp opponent, Andreescu. Number 228 in the WTA rankings, but essentially “due to” a series of injuries that have blocked her in recent times. Paolini, on the other hand, travels quickly towards the top ten. And he demonstrates it with a truly encouraging start. Five games in the series, with two serves broken by the opponent before giving up the first game of the match to the Canadian and closing the first set with the help of the serve. You are at one in the partial and one at zero in the set count, with absolute ease.
Jasmine’s blackout and the arrival of the rain
In the second set Jasmine doesn’t take advantage of three break points in the first game and the situation becomes complicated. Andreescu finds certainty on serve, while Paolini begins to make a few too many mistakes. In the eighth game the Italian lost serve and was unable to make up for it in the following game. The Canadian equalizes the score (6-3) and what’s more it starts to rain. It seems that the referee may decide to suspend the match instead we continue. In the rain, not heavy but insistent. With spectators in the stands watching the match under umbrellas and raincoats.
Paris, Paolini in the round of 16 against the Russian Afanesyan
Of all the outdoor courts, in fact, only 3 is played, that of Paolini-Andreescu. AND Jasmine enchants under the Parisian drizzle, recovering the clarity of the beginning of the game. There is no story, with Andreescu no longer able to win a single game. It ends 6-0, with Jasmine then running indoors to shelter from the increasingly heavy rain. In the next round she will face Elina Afanesyan, who surprisingly eliminated the number 7 seed, Qinwen Zheng. The Russian occupies position number 70 in the WTA ranking: it does not seem like an insurmountable obstacle for Paolini, a chance to exploit to get even higher.
