Jasmine Paolini secured a historic victory at the Italian Open, defeating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 in the women’s singles final.
Roared on by a passionate home crowd at the Foro Italico in Rome, Paolini clinched her first WTA 1000 title on clay. Italian President Sergio Mattarella was in attendance as the 29-year-old became the first Italian woman to win the tournament since Raffaella Reggi in 1985.
“It doesn’t seem real. It’s incredible to have the trophy in my hands. I’m so emotional,” said Paolini. “I came here as a kid to watch this tournament, so to lift the trophy is beyond what I ever dreamed of.”
Paolini took control after a nervy start, breaking Gauff’s serve to go up 3-1 in the opening set. She maintained her momentum, closing out the first set with confidence. In the second set, Paolini raced to a 3-0 lead, eventually sealing the match with a powerful serve down the middle.
The win marks Paolini’s third career WTA singles title and her first on clay. She is now set to rise to No. 4 in the world rankings, ahead of the French Open tournament. Gauff, despite the loss, will return to her career-high ranking of No. 2.
“[Paolini] forced me to play that way,” Gauff said after the match. “Maybe I could have served better and put more balls in the court. But she played to win today, and she deserved to win.”
Italy has chance to win more trophies
Paolini’s week is not over. On Sunday, she and fellow Italian Sara Errani will attempt to defend their doubles title against Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens. If they succeed, Paolini will become the first player to sweep both singles and doubles titles at a WTA 1000 event since Vera Zvonareva in 2009.
Italy’s tennis fans now turn their attention to Sunday’s men’s singles final, where Jannik Sinner will face Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in another thrilling showdown at the Foro Italico.
