MIAMI — Jasmine Paolini`s 2024 season has been marked by remarkable consistency. Her strong performance at the French Open on clay and Wimbledon on grass propelled her into the Top 10 for the first time at 28 years old.
Following those successes, Paolini acknowledged the increased challenge. She recognized that her prior achievements meant she could no longer rely on being underestimated by opponents.
After Ons Jabeur withdrew from their Miami Open third-round match, Paolini reached the round of 16 for the fourth time this season. Having previously been defeated at this stage in Doha, Dubai, and Indian Wells, Miami presented an opportunity to break through.
This Monday at the Miami Open, Paolini achieved that breakthrough. She fought back to secure a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory against Naomi Osaka in a match lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes. The No. 6 seed, Paolini, is now set to compete in the quarterfinals against the winner of the match between No. 3 Coco Gauff and Magda Linette.
This victory marks Paolini`s first streak of three consecutive wins this year. It also improves her record against former world No. 1 players to 3-8, with all three wins occurring in 2024, against Angelique Kerber and Karolina Pliskova previously. Furthermore, this was her first win against a former Grand Slam champion in her last five attempts.
Paolini`s resilience was evident early in the match. The first game alone lasted nine minutes, featuring multiple deuces and break points that Paolini managed to save. Ultimately, she secured the game when an Osaka forehand went wide.
Throughout the match, Paolini successfully defended 12 out of 15 break points, while converting three out of five on her own serve.
Osaka has stated that her return to tennis is not aimed at being just an average player. After 15 months away from the sport for maternity leave, she is beginning to demonstrate glimpses of her past top form.
Osaka acknowledged that facing Paolini, her first Top 10 opponent this year, played a role in the match`s outcome.
“I think maybe experience [was a factor],” Osaka commented after the match. “I don’t think I’ve played many matches against top players like this recently. Her playing style surprised me somewhat, perhaps due to her height. I underestimated her power.”
The match was closely contested, as reflected in the statistics. Paolini recorded 28 winners and 39 unforced errors, while Osaka had 29 winners and 41 unforced errors. Interestingly, Osaka won slightly more points overall, 101 to 97.
More updates to follow…
Rupert Caldwell