The wonderful season continues Jasmine Paoliniwho after triumphing in the prestigious WTA 1000 in Dubai also managed to reach the final at Roland Garros, where she will have to face the number 1 in the world ranking Iga Swiatek, the clear favourite.
Fifth Italian in the Slam final
The Tuscan tennis player is the fifth Italian ever to qualify for the final of a Grand Slam tournament. The first was Francesca Schiavone, who again in Paris managed to do it for two consecutive years, i.e. in 2010 and 2011, winning against Samantha Stosur in the first circumstance and being defeated by Na Li in the second. The following year, once again at Roland Garros, it was Sara Errani’s turn instead, who on 9 June 2012 lost in straight sets against Maria Sharapova. To see Italians in the Slam final again, it was necessary to wait until the magical 2015, when Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci competed for the title on the hard court of the US Open: it was the Brindisi who won in two sets, raising the biggest trophy to the skies of New York. prestigious of his career a month before retiring from the world of tennis.
Now it’s Jasmine Paolini’s turn, who will take to the field on Chatrier on Saturday 8 June at 3.00 pm to try to complete as best as possible the path that led her to the final act of one of the most important tournaments in the world, without considering the fact that tomorrow, paired with Sara Errani, the semi-final of the women’s doubles is scheduled. The Tuscan tennis player will be called to a real feat, given that to win she will have to defeat the number one in the world Iga Swiatekqueen in Paris in three of the last four editions.
The origins
Jasmine was born in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana on 4 January 1996 from an Italian father, originally from Lucca, and a mother of Polish nationality but of mixed origins, given that she is half Polish and half Ghanaian. Growing up in Bagni di Lucca, where her father ran a bar, she became passionate about tennis thanks to her father and especially her uncle Adriano, who took her for the first time on a clay court at the Mirafiume Tennis Club in Bagni di Lucca.
Here the spark struck, but it was at the age of 15 that the first important turning point came: Jasmine entered the federal college of Tirrenia, where he dedicates himself to tennis body and soul and grows rapidly also thanks to more targeted and structured training and training. It is at this point that the idea of starting a professional career arises in her. The Tuscan tennis player has never been discouraged by her short stature and by the doubts that this could be an obstacle for her career, on the contrary: this very limitation has pushed her to improve other aspects of her game, and to rely above all on speed , agility and technical skills.
Debut and first victories
The first participations in tournaments on the ITF circuit date back to 2011, while the first final came two years later at SMA Cup Sant’Elia, Rome, where she was defeated by her compatriot Martina Caregaro. After just two months (August 2013) she managed to win the first trophy in the City of Locri Tournament. The first years on the WTA circuit are not easy, but Jasmine doesn’t give up and triumphs for the first time on the hard courts of the Slovenian Open 250 on 19 September 2021, defeating the American Alison Riske in the final.
The most prestigious success was achieved in February this year, when she managed to impose herself on Anna Kalinskaja, winning the WTA 1000 in Dubai: she was the third Italian ever to achieve this finish line after Flavia Pennetta (Indian Wells 2014) and Camila Giorgi (Montreal Open 2021). With this success, Jasmine took home the 767 prize pool.
655 euros: overall, since the beginning of her career, the Tuscan tennis player has collected, according to what was reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport3,615,555 euros, without considering what he will be able to earn after the ride to the 2024 Roland Garros final.
