Italy's own Jasmine Paolini has been rushing up the WTA rankings over the past two years, and now she has the coveted opportunity to win a title at home, in front of her home crowd at the Rome Open. Capturing Rome would make for Paolini's second singles Masters 1000 title, and first on clay.
Paolini's finals appearance also marks the first time an Italian has made it to the end of the event since Sara Errani appeared in 2014. Errani fell to Serena Williams that day, but Paolini seeks to change the story ending this time around.
Paolini already has one Masters 1000 title to her name—the Dubai Championships last year, included in two singles titles altogether to go along with her seven doubles titles. In Rome, Paolini seeks her biggest tournament win of her career. Having been the runner-up in two previous Grand Slams, she knows what it's like to be oh-so-close.
Jasmine Paolini continues her climb to the top
Paolini's two-day Rome finals are far from her first taste of top-tier achievement in her young tennis career. While she's about to compete for a singles title in Rome, she has already experienced winning on the Italian courts last year, where she won the event in doubles. She's no stranger to the grounds, cheers, and the feeling of triumph close to home.
Singles are a whole other animal, though, but it's nothing Paolini hasn't faced before. On clay, she reached the French Open finals last year, followed by a final appearance at Wimbledon. She wasn't able to close the deal on either match. However, she played on the biggest stage and knows how to win. Her advantage is that she's been here before.
If Paolini were to close the deal in Rome against Coco Gauff or Qinwen Zheng, it might be her crowning achievement. It would also be the perfect stage setting for Roland Garros, which kicks off just days from now. Another advantage for Paolini is that if Gauff advances to the finals, the Italian has already beaten the American this week in doubles with her partner, Errani.
Paolini is rising, and rising fast. She has double the chance to win in Rome, provided she and Errani also advance to the end. It would be quite the weekend if Paolini were to conquer twice. For now, one match at a time.