Rome, May 8 (). Reigning champion Jasmine Paolini faced a tough challenge in her first match of the Italian Open on Thursday, defeating qualifier Leolia Jeanjean 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 and reached the third round. This exciting match lasted for 2 hours 55 minutes.
The 9th seeded Italian star player gave a disappointing performance in front of her home crowd. He hit 54 winners during the match, but also committed 57 unforced errors. Her performance throughout the match was full of ups and downs, leaving the crowd excited and sometimes disappointed as they were hoping to see their top-ranked domestic player reach the third round.
“I was a little nervous. There were a lot of ups and downs. They played a great match. It was a tough match, but I’m happy that I held on and was able to bounce back after a tough first set,” Paolini said at the press conference.
Paolini tried several times to take control of the match early on, breaking Jeanjean’s serve three times in the first set and also served herself to win the set at 5-3. However, the French qualifiers hit back immediately each time and did not give the defending champions any chance to find their rhythm.
Paolini used her sharp backhand winners and excellent touch at the net, but also made some mistakes. Not being able to maintain her rhythm in the tiebreak proved costly for her, when Jeanjean won the set by playing aggressively.
Despite fluctuating performances, Paolini’s fighting spirit ultimately proved decisive. The match saw many long and ‘multi-deuce’ matches, in which the Italian player won on all the important occasions. After taking the lead in the second set, he achieved a crucial breakthrough in the deciding set at 4–3. The success came after an exhausting ‘seven-deuce’ game played on Jeanjean’s serve. In the third round, Paolini will face 21st seed Elise Mertens.
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