Prophet in his land: Paolini is crowned at the Rome Open
Prophet in his land: Paolini is crowned at the Rome Open
Afp and Ap
La Jornada Newspaper, Sunday, May 18, 2025, p. a11
Rome. Italy's drought at the Rome Open is over. After just over 40 years, a local player once again won the tennis tournament after Jasmine Paolini defeated second- ranked American Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to celebrate a historic championship for her country.
The most recent Italian to win the Open was Raffaella Reggi in 1985 in Taranto, while in the men's category it was Adriano Panatta in 1976.
After that prolonged drought, Italy could now even achieve its first double of individual titles in Rome if top-ranked Jannik Sinner defeats Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the men's final today.
Paolini can still add another title to her list, as she will compete this Sunday alongside Sara Errani in the women's doubles final against Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens.
On the Foro Italico's Campo Centrale, Paolini managed a break-and-break start better than her opponent and consolidated her lead in a 54-minute first set. By the second set, Gauff lost focus, committing an extraordinary 55 errors and losing two serves.
"It doesn't seem real
," Paolini said. "I came here as a kid to watch the tournament, but winning and holding the trophy is something I never even dreamed of
," she said while celebrating the title at home.
▲ The Tuscan tennis player ended the Italians' title drought on home soil after just over 40 years. Photo: AFP
Until 2024, when she reached the finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Paolini was primarily known for her doubles performances, a discipline in which she won seven titles, including gold at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
With the historic Rome Open championship, her career has gained momentum in the singles category. The Tuscan native secured her second WTA 1000 title after winning the 2024 Dubai International Championships and is poised for a rematch at Roland Garros, the next Grand Slam of the season, which begins next week.
I don't think I'm the favorite (for Roland Garros), I'll go there to do my best
, stressed Paolini, who recently opted to work with Marc López, after having dispensed with her coach Renzo Furlan.
With victory in Rome, Paolini will move up to fourth in the world on Monday, equaling her career-high WTA ranking. Poland's Iga Swiatek, last year's champion who was eliminated in the third round in Rome, will be relegated to fifth.
In contrast, Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion who arrived as the third seed, lost her second consecutive WTA 1000 final after losing in Madrid two weeks ago to Aryna Sabalenka.
jornada
