Roland Garros speaks more and more Italian. On the day in which Jannik Sinner rests in view of the match against Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final, Jasmine Paolini and the Simone Bolelli-Andrea Vavassori pair reach the final of the women’s and men’s doubles tournament.
A double and unexpected feat that makes fans dream and could make history. But also a sign of personal Italian redemption. Jasmine reaches the final of a Grand Slam tournament at a mature age, at 28 years old, after a career spent in the shadows: small in stature but with an unparalleled determination she beat the very young Mirra 6-3 6-1 Andreeva.
A revenge on the ‘stunned’ 17-year-old Russian, one of the emerging tennis players on the circuit, who beat her on the clay court of Madrid a month ago. “Thanks to those who follow me, even from home, and ‘merci beaucoup’ to those who are here. In recent years I have learned that dreaming is the most important thing”, said the Tuscan tennis player after the match, conquering the Parisian public with her smile.
And it will be a celebration in Bagni di Lucca, where this athlete with an Italian father and a Polish mother of Ghanaian origins grew up. A year ago Jasmine was fighting to remain among the top hundred tennis players in the world, then the explosion: third round at the Australian Open in January, victory at the WTA 1000 tournament in Dubai and now the final in Paris where I will face the world number one Iga Swiatek . Paolini is the third Italian to reach the Roland Garros final after Francesca Schiavone and Sara Errani. On Monday the Italian will be number 7 in the WTA rankings. But she doesn’t end there: she is in the semi-final at Roland Garros also in the doubles paired with the timeless Sara Errani.
ANSA Agency Bolelli and Vavassori qualify for the doubles final – Tennis – Ansa.it Beaten Bopanna-Ebden in three sets 7-5 2-6 6-2 (ANSA)In the men’s final, there will be Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. The Italian couple, who also dreams of representing Italy at the Olympics and perhaps winning a medal, beat the no. 2 couple 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 in the semi-final. 2 of the seeding formed by Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden: a rematch of the final lost at the Australian Open. An Italian pair has not been in the final at Roland Garros since 1959. They will face the winners of the other semi-final between the pairs Granollers/Zeballos (no. 1 in the world) and Arevalo/Pavic (no. 9 in the world) on Saturday. Not since 1959 have two Italians been in the final in Paris. Then Nicola Pietrangeli and Orlando Sirola took to the field, beating the very strong Australians Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser.
“We are all very happy. I hope it is not a dream, but if it is, please don’t wake me”, commented the president of Fitp, Angelo Binaghi, almost taken aback by such abundance. “We didn’t understand why we couldn’t find players and there were always controversies. Today, frankly, there are no words to explain why we manage to achieve all these results”, he admitted. Meanwhile, the anticipation is growing for the men’s semi-final between Sinner and Alcaraz. Specialists are very cautious about their predictions and do not go overboard. The Spaniard, a specialist on clay, should have a slight advantage but he too, like the Italian, is recovering from an injury and has clearly said he fears the challenge with the world number 1. It is likely that the match will be marked by physical fitness. Novak Djokovic has meanwhile posted a photo of himself on crutches in Paris after meniscus surgery. The Serbian did not reveal when he will return to action but said that “the surgery went well” and that he hopes to return “as soon as possible”. It seems unlikely that this will happen at Wimbledon, more likely that the 37-year-old ATP number 2 will return for the Olympics, the only trophy missing from his palmares.
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