Jasmine Paolini fights back and enforces the law of the fittest. Bellucci also ok, Cinà out

Jasmine Paolini qualified for the third round of the Internazionali d’Italia. The Italian champion, already admitted to the second round as the tournament’s seed (specifically, number 9), defeated in three sets France’s Leolia Jeanjean, who despite the 119 position difference in the WTA ranking proved to be a more tricky opponent than expected.

Jeanjean was in fact able to come back three times in the first set, from 2-0 to 2-2, from 4-2 to 4-4 and from 5-4 to 5-5, before closing on 6-all and forcing Paolini into a three-break that saw the athlete from Bagni di Lucca lead 3-2 before capitulating with a 5-1 split for the Frenchwoman.

Decidedly different was the trend in the second fraction, in which Jasmine managed without particular problems to even the score, closing on 6-2. Very balanced, finally, the third set: the decider is the break conquered by Paolini in the seventh game, although Jeanjean before falling is able to cancel a first match point on 5-3. The tenth game, however, is the one that rewards the Azzurra, who wins 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 will face Elise Mertens in the next round.

As for the men’s tournament, instead, the Roman afternoon smiled on Mattia Bellucci, number 80 ATP, who defeated number 56 Roman Andres Burruchaga with a double 6-4, in just under two hours of play. His next opponent will be another Argentine, the number 24 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Out, on the other hand, was Federico Cinà: the world number 225 struggled valiantly in the face of Alexander Blockx, the number 36 ATP big surprise of the Madrid Masters 1000, but it was not enough for him to go ahead by a set to win a match that then ended 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 after exactly two hours of play.