Jasmine Paolini’s return to the court was one to forget against a 39-year-old rival
Jasmine Paolini’s run at the WTA 250 in Eastbourne came to an immediate end. Upon her return to the court, the Tuscan tennis player was eliminated in her opening match by Germany’s Tatjana Maria, who prevailed in one hour and 30 minutes with a score of 6-4, 6-3, immediately knocking out the tournament’s No. 1 seed. It was a particularly tough opening match for the Italian, who faced one of the most dangerous players on grass—a surface on which Maria continues to perform at the highest level despite being 39 years old.
The start of the match looked promising for Paolini. After recovering from 0-30 in her first service game, the Italian broke serve thanks to the German’s struggles with her backhand, quickly building a 3-0 lead. In the next game as well, Paolini reached 0-30, giving the impression that she could take control of the match.
From that moment on, however, the match took a different turn. Maria regained her solidity on serve and managed to break back at the end of a hard-fought game. The German then began to impose her own style of play, characterized by slices, variety, effective defense, and constant changes in pace—qualities that are particularly effective on grass. The set took an unexpected turn: from a 3-0 lead for Paolini, the score quickly shifted to 5-3 in Maria’s favor, and she closed out the set 6-4 shortly thereafter.
The start of the second set also favored the German player, who immediately broke serve by capitalizing on a backhand that landed in the net by the Italian. Maria conceded very little on her own service games, supported by a very effective serve and several aces at key moments. Paolini tries to stay in the game, but suffers another break that leaves her trailing 1-4.
Just when the match seems all but decided, a lapse by the German allows the Italian to claw her way back into the match. However, Paolini never managed to create any real opportunities to even the score. At 3-5, she was forced to fend off three consecutive match points, but on the third opportunity, Maria clinched the decisive point, closing out the match with a final score of 6-3.
