Paolini beats Vekic in marathon match to make it to the first Wimbledon final
Summary
- Paolini was the first Italian woman to make it to Wimbledon final
- Women’s semi-final match against Vekic longest match in Wimbledon history
- Italian takes on Krejcikova in the final on Saturday.
LONDON 11 July (Reuters) 7th seeds Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to make the Wimbledon final after she defeated Croatian Donna Vekic 2-6 6-4 7-6(8) on Thursday in the longest semi-final for women held at the All England Club.
Fans enjoyed an exciting game in the Centre Court as both players exhausted themselves in search of a place for the semi-final on Saturday. Paolini will play Barbora Krejcikova following that 2021 French Open champion beat Elena Rybakina in the second semi-final.
The two women, both 28, were in uncharted territory with Vekic playing her first semi-final in her career. Paolini not even won a game on grass prior to this year.
The Croatian was able to win the opening set with ease after breaking Paolini who was a surprise finalist of the French Open last month, in the fifth and after that in the seventh game with her mix of groundstrokes and dropshots, which proved too difficult for the Italian under a bright and sunny day.
But Paolini, who was supported by a large group made up of Italians who gathered in support, grew increasingly aggressive during the 2nd set as she stepped closer to the net and threw Vekic on the back foot. Her determination and effort ultimately paid off when she took an unforced break to win the match.
The pair traded breaks in the final, while both committed mistakes that were not forced, especially Vekic who appeared exhausted in her emotions as the game progressed. She was crying after she saved Paolini’s opening match point.
A successful contest overturning an error in line play made it possible for Paolini to play an almost 10-minute game, which ended with Vekic crying in her chair during the time of changeover.
The Croatian recovered to win a match point, and she served for a tiebreak, but was a bit sluggish when she committed an unforced error totalling 57 and vented her anger with Coach Pam Shriver in the players box.
Paolini, on the other hand she looked as energetic as she was when she first started. She prevailed, and won the two-hour and 51-minute race, in which both players walked more than 3.5 miles, and reached her second consecutive Grand Slam final.
“These last months have been crazy for me. I am trying to focus on what I have to do on court and I love playing tennis. It is amazing to be here and it is a dream,” Paolini who reached the semi-finals at Eastbourne last month, told reporters on the court.
“I think it was an intense match and I tried to play my best and now it’s time to recover. I think I need an ice bath as my legs are a little bit tired.”
The longest semi-final for women at Wimbledon was 2 hours and 50 minutes in between Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva in 2009.
‘CRAZY’
Paolini never made it past the second stage of the Grand Slam before this year. She made it to the fourth stage at the Australian Open in January before her final run in Wimbledon, the French Open and now Wimbledon.
If she had believed in the advice of someone who told her in the past that at the time she was two times a finalist, the Italian offered a straightforward response.
“You are crazy, I would say, yes… I don’t have words. Just, yeah, you are crazy,” she said at the press at a conference with a laugh.
It appears that her training with a new fitness trainer since the beginning of last year has paid back as she aspires to follow her fellow Italians like the 2010 French Open winner Francesca Schiavone and 2014 U.S. Open champion Flavia Pennetta, and former world no. 5 Sara Errani by contesting the title match in the major.
Paolini, however, was determined to create her own story within the books of history.
“Yeah, they are inspiring me so much. But I don’t want to compare too much because I’m writing my own story, my own career,” she stated.
“But I remember the Grand Slam finals that they made. I think it’s really important for also the next generation having people that can do great things. They can show you that it’s possible. That’s really important.”