The whole of Italy dreams with Jasmine Paolini. The Tuscan tennis player’s big day has arrived, with the Italian who will face her first Slam final of her career. An unforgettable Roland Garros for Paolini, the fourth Italian ever to reach the last act in Paris. Two simply phenomenal weeks and now the dream match against the most difficult opponent to face on clay.
From dream to businessbecause Jasmine will need this to get the better of the queen of Philippe Chatrier, the Polish Iga Swiatek, who is hunting for the fifth Slam title of her career, the fourth at Roland Garros and the third consecutive for the world number one.
A final that seems to have a more than predictable outcome, given that Swiatek appears truly unbeatable. After coming just one point away from a sensational second-round elimination against Naomi Osaka, the Pole has completely turned the corner and demolished every other opponent on the other side of the net. A truly overwhelming dominion and for this very reason Paolini’s task really appears almost impossible.
Yet they have been an exceptional two weeks so far for a Paolini team who has gone beyond even the wildest expectations, growing match after match. The last two victories with Rybakina and Andreeva they showed two different sides of the same player: the one who never gives up and always fights with every ball and the one capable of completely dominating an opponent who had defeated her a few weeks ago.
Clearly the outcome of the final will depend a lot on how Swiatek plays. Paolini’s goal is to always stay in the game, trying to bring the Pole into the fight and take away those certainties that the world number one has built for herself with her latest victories. It will be fundamental for Jasmine to be aggressive right from the responsein particular on the Polish player’s second, the shot that could send the Warsaw native into more difficulty.
A final that certainly Jasmine will have to enjoy from the first to the last second. A magical moment to live with that smile that never abandoned her throughout the tournament, even in the most difficult moments. Paolini will certainly give everything and try, dreaming of one of the greatest feats in Italian tennis.
