President Sergio Mattarella will attend the Italian Open women’s singles final on Saturday at Rome’s Foro Italico. Italy’s Jasmine Paolini takes on American Coco Gauff after two hard fought matches.
Italian Tennis Federation (FITP) President Angelo Binaghi confirmed the news on Friday, as Italy’s Jasmine Paolini prepares to face American Coco Gauff on centre court. Paolini, 29, will bid for her third career Hologic WTA Tour title and her first in Rome. She aims to become the first Italian woman to win the title since Raffaella Reggi in 1985.
Paolini’s opponent, fourth-seeded Gauff, reached the final after a gruelling three-hour, 32-minute semi-final against Zheng Qinwen. While Gauff leads their head-to-head record 2-1, Paolini claimed victory in their only clay-court clash last month in Stuttgart.
Paolini’s path to the final included a dramatic comeback against Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals, where she overturned a set and 4-0 deficit to clinch victory. On Thursday, she rallied again against American Peyton Stearns, recovering from a 5-3 deficit in the first set to win 7-5, 6-2.
Men’s singles draw also has Italian hopes
The Italian Open also sees high hopes in the men’s singles draw. Italy’s Jannik Sinner will face Tommy Paul in the semi-finals after dismantling Casper Ruud 6-0, 6-1 in a dominant quarter-final display. Sinner, the top-seeded Italian, described the performance as a “very positive sign” ahead of his semi-final clash.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo Musetti continued his impressive run, defeating defending champion Alexander Zverev 7-6, 6-4 to secure a semi-final berth against Carlos Alcaraz. Musetti became the first Italian to reach the semi-finals at all three clay-court ATP Masters 1000 events in a single season.
Musetti credited the home crowd for his performance, saying, “All week there has been incredible support from the fans. I felt the adrenaline and the energy from the first point.”
