Italian International: Paolini cruises past Gauff to claim historic Rome title

IANS May 18, 2025 231 views

Jasmine Paolini made tennis history by winning the Rome International, defeating Coco Gauff in a decisive straight-sets victory. Her triumph marks the first time an Italian woman has won the title in her national capital since the Open Era began. The victory not only boosts her ranking but also establishes her as a serious clay-court contender. Paolini's journey from saving set points in earlier rounds to dominating the final demonstrates her remarkable resilience and skill.

"To win in Rome is a dream come true" - Jasmine Paolini
Rome (Italy), May 17: Home favourite Jasmine Paolini made history at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, ensuring that for the first time in four decades, the Italian International has an Italian champion in women's singles here on Saturday. Paolini thrilled the partisan crowd in Rome as the No.

Key Points

1

First Italian women's singles champion in Rome since 1985

2

Defeated No.4 Gauff 6-4, 6-2 in commanding final

3

Projected to return to career-high World No.4 ranking

6 seed Paolini defeated No. 4 seed Coco Gauff of the United States 6-4, 6-2 in the final at Campo Centrale to claim a historic title. Paolini is the first woman to prevail at her country's biggest event since Raffaella Reggi in 1985, 40 years ago. Also, Reggi won the title when the event was held in Taranto, meaning Paolini was the first woman to win the Internazionali BNL d'Italia title in her national capital of Rome during the Open Era (since 1968). She thus became the third Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the Rome final after coming from 4-1 down in the first set, saving two set points, to defeat Peyton Stearns 7-5, 6-1 in 1 hour and 39 minutes.

In the summit clash between two Top-5 players, Paolini needed just 1 hour and 29 minutes to best Gauff and pick up her second career WTA 1000 title, following her triumph in Dubai in 2024. This is Paolini's third WTA singles title overall -- and her first on clay.

Gauff won their first two career meetings, but those were on hard court, and Paolini has taken control of their rivalry on clay. Paolini beat Gauff for the first time last month in Stuttgart on indoor clay, and now she has backed up that win on the dirt in Rome, levelling their overall head-to-head at 2-2.

Paolini is now projected to return to her career-high ranking of World No. 4 on Monday, just in time for a likely Top 4 placement in the Roland Garros seedings. Gauff, meanwhile, will still rise back to her career-high ranking of No. 2 on Monday.

Paolini is not done yet this fortnight, either. She will go for the sweep when she and Sara Errani attempt to defend their doubles title in Sunday's doubles final.

If Paolini wins that match, too, she will be the first player to sweep the singles and doubles titles at a WTA 1000 event since Vera Zvonareva at the 2009 Indian Wells.

Reader Comments

Here are 5 diverse Indian perspective comments for the tennis article:
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Rahul K.
What an inspiring performance by Paolini! 🇮🇳 We need more such homegrown champions in India too. Our tennis players should take motivation from this - winning in front of home crowd is special. Hope we see an Indian lift a WTA 1000 title soon!
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Priya M.
So happy for Paolini! 🎾 But honestly, I was rooting for Coco Gauff - she's such a young talent and represents the future of women's tennis. Both players showed great sportsmanship though. The way Paolini turned around that first set was incredible!
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Amit S.
As an Indian tennis fan, I must say European countries really know how to nurture their players. 40 years is a long wait, but Italy stuck with their system. We need similar long-term planning in India rather than expecting overnight success.
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Neha P.
The doubles final will be exciting! If Paolini wins both, she'll make history. Though I wonder - is it fair for one player to compete in both singles and doubles at such high level tournaments? The physical toll must be enormous! 🤔
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Vikram J.
Interesting how Paolini struggled against Gauff on hard courts but dominates on clay. Surface specialization is so crucial in tennis. That's why we need more clay courts in India - our players need exposure to all surfaces to compete globally. Well done to both athletes! 👏

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Tags:
Jasmine Paolini Coco Gauff Italian Tennis WTA 1000 Rome Open