Gritty, not Pretty: Paolini Pulls Out Third Consecutive Win over Gauff to Reach Cincy Semis
The Italian fought past Gauff - and an ankle injury - to reach the final four in Cincinnati.
Jasmine Paolini has Coco Gauff’s number in 2025.
The Italian hung around a scratchy three-set contest, and eventually logged her third consecutive win over the two-time Slam champion on Friday night to reach the semifinals at the Cincinnati Open, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
“It was so tough,” Paolini said. “I stayed there ever point, I tried to fight every point, and it worked.”
Paolini, who turned her ankle early in the third set and had to see the trainer, didn’t seem to be bothered down the stretch as she pulled away to win the error-strewn affair in two hours and three minutes.
Paolini, who also notched wins over Gauff at Stuttgart and Rome this year, is into the last four in Cincinnati for the first time.
She hit seven winners against 44 unforced errors, while Gauff hit 22 winners and 62 unforced errors.
Both players earned seven breaks of serve, but it was Paolini who got the last one, with Gauff serving at 3-4 in the deciding set. She then converted her third match point to lock up the win.
The Italian will face Veronika Kudermetova in the semifinals. Iga Swiatek will take on Elina Rybakina in the top half semifinal. Both will be played on Sunday.
More to follow…
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