What a year it has been for Jasmine Paolini. Up until last week, this pocket-rocket of an Italian had never won a match at the All England Club. She is now a Wimbledon finalist after storming back from a set down to disarm Donna Vekic in the longest women’s semi-final in the Championship’s history.
In a marathon contest that lasted two hours and 51 minutes, a courageous Paolini produced a gladiatorial performance to eventually oust the determined Croat, who initially appeared unflappable in the big moments.
Vekic saved two match points during a roller-coaster deciding set to force the match to a heart-stopping tiebreak that seesawed one way, and then the other. But, with the emotion of the occasion clearly taking its toll, her admirable efforts were only delaying the inevitable.
In the end it was third time lucky for plucky Paolini, who capitalised when Vekic splayed a forehand effort wide. “This match, I will remember forever,” said the 5ft 4in player from Tuscany.
Her 6-2, 4-6, 6-6 (8-10) victory will be etched in the history books for a number of reasons. Not only is she the first Italian to reach the Wimbledon women’s final, but she is also the first woman to reach back-to-back Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals since Serena Williams in 2016.
It capped a meteoric rise for Paolini, who before this year had never won a tour-level main-draw match on grass. After a semi-final showing in Eastbourne, she has gone one better at the All England Club, a place where she had exited at the first-round on three previous occasions.
“These last months have been crazy for me,” she said. “I don’t know, I am just trying to focus on what I have to do on court and enjoying what I am doing. I love playing tennis. It is a dream. I was watching the finals when I was a kid at Wimbledon. I am just enjoying it and trying to live in the present.”
With Vekic playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final after enduring a torrid time with injuries, the stakes could not have been higher. The Croat was contemplating retirement just two months ago but has enjoyed something of a renaissance under the tutelage of Pam Shriver, the American who won five doubles titles at SW19, and applied pressure on the Paolini serve from the get-go.
In a snapshot of the longevity of what was to come, the Italian just about managed to hold in her opening service game, which morphed into an eight-minute, five-deuce affair. Vekic took charge of the first set with clean ball-striking, countering her aggressive forehands with deft dropshots. Like a hunter, she repeatedly sucked Paolini into the net, with the Italian caught in her snare.
When Paolini coughed up a double break point early on in the second set, it looked ominous. But a scampering drop shot and scintillating volley saw her dramatically hold and her sparky play forced Vekic to eschew a very makeable overhead smash, before she levelled with a forehand winner.
The momentum swung back in Vekic’s favour at the start of the decider, when the Croat grabbed an immediate break and left Paolini chasing her own shadows on a sun-drenched Centre Court. The world no 37 had, rather savvily, practised the day before on Wimbeldon’s main showcourt after receiving permission from umpire Denise Parnell, given she had not played a match there all tournament.
But nothing could have prepared her for the way in which Paolini harnessed the energy from the crowd. In the heat of the battle, Vekic lost her focus – her serve became increasingly erratic (she leaked seven double faults in total) and she was reduced to tears after squandering two break points when the decider was locked at 5-5.
As the tension ramped up, she trudged back to her chair to ice her forearm in a towel, before fatefully wasting her last remaining challenge by unsuccessfully disputing a Paolini ace during the tiebreak.
She ruefully stared at the baseline after the Italian produced a forehand that kissed the chalk at the end of the court as the match slipped from her grasp, before the diminutive Italian lit up Centre with her smile.
Paolini outlasts Vekic on Centre Court: as it happened
04:57 PM BST
Who will Paolini meet in Saturday’s final?
Paolini will meet the winner of Elena Rybakina vs Barbora Krejcikova which is coming up next.
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04:54 PM BST
More Paolini reaction
These last months have been crazy for me.
I am trying to focus on what I have to do on court and I love playing tennis. It is amazing to be here and It is a dream.
I was watching finals when I was a kid and I am living in the present. The last months have been crazy for me.
04:45 PM BST
Paolini reacts
It was tough today and she [Vekic] played unbelievable. I think she was hitting winners everywhere – I was struggling at the beginning.
I was serving really bad so I am so happy. This match I will remember forever.
I was trying to think about what to do on the court point by point because I was really difficult, you know there is no place better than here to fight for every ball and very point.
I really enjoy playing in front of you guys. For a tennis player this is the best place to play a match like this and thank you for cheering for me.
04:41 PM BST
Heartbreak…
The Telegraph
