WTA Palermo, Jasmine Paolini in quarterfinals

WTA Palermo, Jasmine Paolini in quarterfinals

Jasmine Paolini qualified for the quarterfinals on clay in Palermo. The 27-year-old Tuscan native of Bagni di Lucca, number 52 in the world, beat Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, number 149 but who was number 21 in the WTA ranking three years ago, on a comeback and with her usual grit with a score of 2-6 6-4 6-2.

First set in which from the fourth to the eighth game Paolini lost her serve three times and Yastremska one but the Ukrainian closed the partial after having a set point in the previous game with her serve at hand. In the second set Yastremska immediately breaks in the second game and then goes ahead 3-0. Here, however, the game changes.

In fact Paolini recovers the break in the fifth game and makes another one in the ninth closing on the second set point, finally she makes another one in the first game of the third and the final one in the seventh game, closing the file after two hours and 20 minutes of play. Basically Jasmine, after an initial partial game of 2-9 strung one 12-3 in her favor, and after losing her serve in the second set she never conceded a single break ball again!

Now the little Tuscan will most likely meet the tournament’s No. 1 and world No. 11 favorite, Russian Daria Kasatkina, with whom she has a 2-2 record in direct confrontations and the last one was won by her in Palermo three years ago, also on a comeback, in the first women’s tournament played since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.