Joyful Paolini hails Rome victory: “I never thought I’d win this title”
The Italian beat Coco Gauff in the final for her biggest singles title to date
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Until this year, Jasmine Paolini had a somewhat love-hate relationship with Rome. In six appearances, she had never won two matches in a row.
This year, something clearly changed and the Italian’s 6-4, 6-2 win over Coco Gauff in the final on Saturday gave her the biggest singles title of her career, the perfect preparation for a tilt at Roland-Garros, where she was runner-up last year.
“It’s amazing,” she told Sky Sports. “I was coming here to this tournament when I was a kid and now I’m holding the trophy.”
“I never won two matches here (before this year). I never thought I could hold this trophy. Today is a special day for me. I never played that well here, but something changed this year. It’s great.”
Perfect tactical display
Right from the start, Paolini looked settled and at home, while Gauff was ragged, making too many errors, especially on serve and forehand.
“Today was the best match I’ve played here in Rome,” Paolini said. “I stepped on the court and I felt good, I was very focused. The plan was clear. I didn’t make too many mistakes and I did it well.”
And Paolini said she was glad to play a role in the outstanding success of Italian players of late, with men’s No 1 Jannik Sinner going for the title on Sunday against Carlos Alcaraz.
“It was like a football stadium today,” she said of the crowd support. “In Italy, tennis is growing a lot and I’m really happy to be a part of it.”
