Jasmine Paolini surprises herself by reaching first grand slam final at the French Open
- The Italian, who had never been past the fourth round at a major, beat Russian Mirra Andreeva and will face holder Iga Swiatek in the final
Jasmine Paolini is struggling to believe she is into her first grand slam final.
Paolini, who had never previously been past the fourth round at a major tournament, continued her run at the French Open by beating Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-1 in Thursday’s semi-finals.
“It’s a great feeling to be in a grand slam final,” the 28-year-old Italian said. “I don’t know. It seems something impossible, you know, but it’s true.”
She faces two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in Saturday’s final, the day before the men’s final.
And an Italian double is still a possibility because Jannik Sinner can reach the men’s final if he gets past Carlos Alcaraz on Friday. Win or lose, the Australian Open champion Sinner will have the No 1 ranking on Monday.
“It’s unbelievable to see Jannik when he was 15 years old say that his dream was to be No 1,” Paolini said. “For me it’s something different. I never dreamed to be in a grand slam final, and I’m here. I’m so happy.”
