Jasmine Paolini and, surprisingly, Barbora Krejcikova will play the women's final at Wimbledon on Saturday. The Italian is aiming for her first victory at a Grand Slam tournament, the Czech for her second.
11.07.2024, 17:54
11.07.2024, 23:20
SDA
Jasmine Paolini was behind several times in her match against Donna Vekic from Croatia, but fought her way into the final. Now she has a second chance to win her first Grand Slam tournament.
Jasmine Paolini is the first tennis player since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach the Wimbledon final within a few weeks of the French Open final. The 28-year-old narrowly won a hard-fought match against Donna Vekic 2:6, 6:4, 7:6 (10:8) despite being a set behind. In the deciding set, the Italian defied the deficit and held her nerve in the tie-break.
Paolini is already the most successful Italian woman in the long history of Wimbledon. No woman from the Belpaese has ever reached the semi-finals before her. On Saturday, she can crown her rise with a win against Czech Barbora Krejcikova.
Paolini's steep rise to the top of the world rankings makes impressive reading. Before the 2024 season, the Italian had never made it past the second round at any Grand Slam tournament. At Wimbledon, she had not won a match in the main draw in three previous attempts.
Game turned around
Barbora Krejcikova, the world number 32, will start as an outsider, but the 28-year-old Czech feels less pressure. She won the French Open in 2021, even then as an outsider.
It is possible that the Czech will be able to continue her run of success. Because the 3:6, 6:4, 6:4 victory over Yelena Rybakina came as a surprise. The world number four from Kazakhstan had triumphed in south-west London in 2022 and was regarded as the clear favorite to win the title again after her previous convincing performances.