Paolini Battles Past Shnaider at Italian Open, Alcaraz Sets Up Draper Clash
Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to reach the Italian Open semi-finals since 2014 when she beat Russian world number 11 Diana Shnaider 6-7(1) 6-4 6-2 on Tuesday.
In a stunning first-set collapse, Paolini was 4-0 up but lost the next five games before Shnaider then forced a tiebreak, which the 21-year-old Russian dominated.
Backed into a corner, world number five Paolini mounted a comeback of her own in the second set, winning six successive games after trailing 4-0.
Down a break in the decider, French Open runner-up Paolini continued to show resilience with the crowd behind her to become the first Italian woman to reach the last four of the WTA 1000 event since doubles partner Sara Errani just over a decade ago.
Paolini, who reached the last four in Rome for the first time, will face Peyton Stearns for a spot in the final after the American knocked out Elina Svitolina 6-2 4-6 7-6(4), Reuters reported.
In the men’s draw, world number one Jannik Sinner overcame Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(2) 6-3 to extend his winning streak to 24 matches, which started in October last year.
