London, July 11 (UNI) In a thrilling Centre Court encounter, No.7 seed Jasmine Paolini made history by becoming the first Italian woman to reach the Wimbledon final in the Open Era.
Paolini displayed remarkable resilience, battling from a set down and overcoming two break deficits in the decider to defeat Donna Vekic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(10-8) in a marathon match lasting 2 hours and 51 minutes.
This electrifying semifinal, the longest in Wimbledon women’s history, saw Paolini save her first match point at 5-4 in the third set and her second at 6-5, before clinching victory on her third in a gripping super-tiebreak.
The win marks Paolini’s third triumph in four encounters with Vekic.
Fresh off a runner-up finish at Roland Garros to Iga Swiatek, Paolini has swiftly followed up with another impressive run, reaching her second major final. The 28-year-old’s achievement makes her the first player to reach both the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same season since Serena Williams in 2016.
Paolini joins an elite group of players who have accomplished this feat in the past 25 years, including Stefanie Graf (1999), Serena Williams (2002, 2015, 2016), Venus Williams (2002), and Justine Henin (2006).
Paolini’s journey is particularly remarkable considering she had never won a tour-level match on grass before 2024. Her record on the surface now stands at an impressive 8-1, with her only loss coming to Daria Kasatkina in the Eastbourne semifinals two weeks ago.
Currently ranked at a career-high No.7, Paolini is guaranteed to break into the Top 5 next week.
