Jasmine Paolini, winning marathon in Ningbo: comeback is worth a spot in semifinals
Jasmine Paolini has qualified for the semifinals of the WTA tournament in Ningbo, China.
The champion from Bagni di Lucca, number 8 in the world and the number 2 seed in the tournament, defeated Belinda Bencic, number 14 in the ranking and number 6 in the seeding, in the quarterfinals in three sets, regaining the disadvantage against the Swiss after a fraction of play. 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 was the final score.
The match, very intense from the start, lasted a good three hours and eighteen minutes: a marathon that started badly for Paolini, who found herself immediately down 0-2 in the first set, although the Italian managed to put the challenge back in balance until 5-5, before Bencic’s excellency in the final of the set. Even more tightly contested was the next fraction, which lasted over an hour and a half and was again very balanced until 5-all, before a very long 11th game (as many as 19 points played) and the break in the next game that rebalanced the set count.
In the final fraction Paolini then made the difference in the eighth game, winning the only break of the deciding set. Bencic was unable to fight back and the Italian player was able to clinch a place in the semifinals, confirming a more than decent period of form on Chinese cement, demonstrated by the three rounds she overcame both in Beijing, where she reached the quarterfinals, and in Wuhan, where she instead advanced to the semifinals.
A class of 1996, Jasmine Paolini is currently the main reference of Italian women’s tennis. In her palmares there are three tournaments won in singles (Portorož 2021, Dubai 2024, Rome 2025), two finals played at Grand Slam level (Paris and Wimbledon, both in 2024 and both lost), as well as a series of successes in doubles, especially with Sara Errani, with whom she also shared an Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024 and success at Roland Garros 2025.
