French Open: Jasmine Paolini sets up Iga Swiatek final showdown, ends Mirra Andreeva dream run at Roland-Garros
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ByOli Gent
Updated 06/06/2024 at 17:34 GMT
Jasmine Paolini booked her place in the French Open final with a straight-sets victory over Mirra Andreeva. The 12th seed came through 6-3 6-1 on Court Philippe-Chatrier, needing an hour and 13 minutes to beat her teenage opponent and end the Russian's dream run. The No. 12 seed reached her first ever Grand Slam final, and she will face three-time Roland-Garros champion Iga Swiatek on Saturday.
French Open highlights - Paolini reaches maiden final with victory over Andreeva
Jasmine Paolini moved into her first ever Grand Slam final as she ended teenager Mirra Andreeva’s dream run at the French Open.
The Italian, who herself had never reached the semi-final stage of a major, beat the 17-year-old in straight sets, 6-3 6-1, on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The 12th seed came out the aggressor to break in the fourth game of the match, with Andreeva’s inexperience and nerves perhaps playing a part as her unforced error count began to increase.
The Italian did superbly to hold resolutely at 5-2 as Andreeva spurned five break point opportunities, and a blasted backhand long from Andreeva wrapped up the opening set for the Italian.
Another backhand dumped into the net from the teenager put Paolini firmly into the driving seat, up a set and a break at 2-1 in the second, and she secured the double-break advantage at 4-1 as Andreeva began to deflate, on the verge of tears.
She threatened a break-back in the following game, but Paolini showed her fighting spirit to see out the hold and pile the onus onto the young star to serve to stay in the tournament.
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'Italian's resurgence continues!' - Paolini wins first set of semi-final against Andreeva
Paolini could not miss, with a blistering backhand pass putting her 0-30 up, and a forehand winner teeing up three match points.
She thrashed a final forehand into the open court to seal the deal, setting up a meeting with Iga Swiatek on Saturday.
It was a tale of two Grand Slam semi-final debutants, and it was Paolini who dealt with the occasion the better.
The 12th seed kept her composure on the big stage, despite admitting that she had had some pre-match nerves following her previous defeat to Andreeva on the clay in Madrid a month earlier.
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'She's close to tears' - Emotions run high for Andreeva as Paolini closes in on final
The Italian was front-footed in her approach, looking to overpower the teenager and step inside the baseline to dictate with her ferocious forehand.
She was met by an errant Andreeva, who made over 30 unforced errors during the two sets.
The youngster tried to hit big when she could, but she found her groundstrokes flying back at her with a similar amount of venom, with Paolini in a spirited mood.
The Russian had early success with her backhand down the line, and she showed good hands at the net as she kept the pace until the fourth game, where she let complacency creep in, and Paolini took full advantage to crack her.
Andreeva began to grow frustrated as she let five break point chances go astray as Paolini extended her lead to 5-2, defending impressively and simply keeping the ball in play, waiting for her opponent to make a mistake.
Andreeva’s backhand down-the-line success was waning, and that was demonstrated with another netted stroke to cede the first break of the second set.
Andreeva’s backhand down-the-line success was waning, and that was demonstrated with another netted stroke to cede the first break of the second set.
Paolini, who had only reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam previously, continued to pile on the pressure, and it told as she secured the crucial break at 4-1, before crashing a final forehand down to seal her place in Saturday’s showpiece.
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Paolini sets up Roland-Garros final clash with Swiatek after victory against Andreeva
“I’m more than happy,” Paolini said.
“It was a tough match; she’s playing unbelievably. She’s 17 years old. She’s so complete, so I was a little bit nervous before the match. I lost against her a month ago, so I was like, ‘Come on, you have to do better.’
"Today I was nervous in the first set, but then, ball after ball, I was getting relaxed. I know it’s tough to be relaxed at this stage. I managed to win the match at the end.
“We didn’t watch the match, but I had in my mind - it was painful in Madrid. I was up in the first set 5-2 and then lost. I stepped onto the court and tried to better. I knew her a bit better. I hit the ball, enjoy[ed], it worked. I’m really happy.
“I learnt a little bit later [to dream]. To dream is the most important thing in sport and life. I’m happy that I could dream this moment.”
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