Jasmine Paolini puts on a show in Cincinnati: super comeback against Coco Gauff
Tennis Italy rejoices at the spectacular comeback of Jasmine Paolini, who qualified for the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati by beating the U.S. Coco Gauff after a great comeback. 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 was the final score, which came after two very intense hours of play that saw the Italian player react to a negative first set.
Under 0-3, Paolini seemed to fail to pace herself on the concrete of the Lindner Family Tennis Center’s Center Court. Gauff, despite losing a game on her own serve, exploited in turn as many as three breaks to close out an opening fraction that would not bode well for the highest ranked athlete among Italian tennis players.
The Italian player is now in the middle of the first set.
Everything changes, however, in the second set: Jasmine finds the right rhythm stroke after stroke and in the sixth game places the first break of the fraction: from that moment neither contender manages to win a game on her own serve, but that is enough for the Italian player to close the set on 6-4 and take the match to the third and decisive fraction.
Even in the third set, serving is not the strong point of the two athletes: in the first five games overall, as many as four were won on her opponent’s serve. Arriving at 3-3, however, Paolini shifts into top gear and from there on leaves only crumbs to Gauff, going on to take a success that is worth the qualification to the semifinals.
Awaiting Jasmine Paolini is now Veronika Kudermetova, executioner of Varvara Gracheva in the quarters. Jasmine Paolini, in addition to the singles semifinals, is also in the penultimate act of the tournament in doubles along with Sara Errani: the two Italians are engaged in the night between Saturday and Sunday against the duo composed of Guo Hanyu and Alexandra Panova.
