When Jasmine Paolini plays at the WTA Finals: background with Aryna Sabalenka

On the indoor Central Court in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, Jasmine Paolini makes her debut in her second career WTA Finals today against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. The match will begin at 3 p.m. Italian time, 5 p.m. local time.

The 29-year-old from Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany, has qualified as No. 8 and has been placed in the elimination round named after Steffi Graf along with the Belarusian and the U.S. Coco Gauff, No. 3, and Jessica Pegula, No. 5.

There are seven previous matches between the two tennis players and Jasmine has won two of them, 4-6 7-6 7-6 in the first round on the grass of Ilkley in 2017 (ITF tournament) and 2-6 6-3 6-3 also in the first round on the concrete of Indian Wells in 2022.

Sabalenka’s five wins then: 6-4 6-4 6-4 in the first round in Linz in 2020, 6-4 7-6 in the round of 16 in Beijing in 2023, 6-3 7-5 at last year’s WTA Finals also in the round robin, finally this year 6-2 6-2 in the semifinals in Miami and 7-5 6-4 in the semifinals in Stuttgart.