Errani-Paolini, trifecta in Berlin evaporates: loss in final at match tie-break

After 14 consecutive victories and triumphs in the Rome and Paris tournaments, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini’s winning run came to a halt in the Berlin final. The Italian women were defeated in the final of the WTA 500 in Berlin by the pair consisting of Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Britain’s Olivia Nicholls by the score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-10 in a tight match full of twists and turns, played on the grass of the Steffi Graf Stadion.

The first set began with balance, with both pairs solid on their service turns. Breaking the inertia was a winning response by Paolini, which allowed the Italians to go up 4-3. After an immediate counter-break, the Azzurri took advantage of a very foul service turn by Mihalikova – with two double faults – to close out the partial 6-4 in 37 minutes.

In the second set, however, came the reaction of the opposing pair. After an early break by the Italians, Mihalikova and Nicholls took over the game. The Azzurri began to struggle on serve, winning just 9 points out of 31 between the second set and match tie-break. The rivals put on a run of five consecutive games, closing 6-2 and extending the challenge to the super tie-break.

In the deciding partial, the Slovak-British pair maintained a slight lead at all times. At 6-6, an error by Paolini in reply and a pinpoint pass by Nicholls gave the first match point. Mihalikova sealed the win with an ace, setting the score at 10-6 and clinching the title. Now for the two Italians, the head goes entirely to the Wimbledon tournament, where the Azzurri remain one of the favorite pairs to win the Championships.