Home favourite Jasmine Paolini beats Coco Gauff to win Italian Open

ROME, Italy - Jasmine Paolini made Italian tennis history on May 17 by winning the Italian Open, convincingly beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to claim her second 1000 series title ahead of Roland Garros later this month.

Late bloomer Paolini, who also won in Dubai in 2024, is the first Italian woman to win the Rome event since Raffaella Reggi in 1985 after overcoming former US Open champion Gauff in straight sets.

The 29-year-old delighted the packed centre court at the Foro Italico by winning the first of a potential three titles for local players at this year’s event in the Italian capital.

And after reaching two Grand Slam finals in 2024 Paolini, who will be world number four on May 19, will be gunning to go one better in Paris after a brilliant home tournament.

“It doesn’t seem real, it’s incredible to have the trophy in my hands, I’m so emotional,” said a beaming Paolini on court.

“I don’t know what to say, it’s so emotional to be here, I came here as a kid to watch this tournament so to lift the trophy is beyond what I ever dreamed of.”

Paolini could yet win both the singles and women’s doubles tournaments, with the Tuscan and Sara Errani, who was in the crowd on May 17, taking on Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens in another final on May 18.

Paolini and Errani, who also won Italy a first ever Olympic gold in tennis in Paris in 2024, will be favourites to retain their Rome title.

Monica Seles was the last women to win the singles and doubles tournaments in Rome in 1990, while the only player ever to do so in a 1000 series tournament was Vera Zvonareva at Indian Wells in 2009.

Paolini’s compatriot Jannik Sinner will contend a blockbuster men’s singles final against rival Carlos Alcaraz on May 18, with an Italian hat-trick of Rome titles still on the cards.

“It’s been a dream week, and we still have the doubles, don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten!” added Paolini.

Sloppy Gauff

Paolini is the oldest woman to win her first Rome title during the Open Era, while Gauff, eight years Paolini’s junior, missed out on becoming the youngest American to take the crown since Serena Williams back in 2002.

Similarly to her battling semi-final win over Zheng Qinwen, Gauff made 55 unforced errors to go with seven double faults on serve, making Paolini’s life unnecessarily easy.

Gauff, also a loser in the Madrid final earlier this month, was visibly livid with her performance which started with a double fault and continued with sloppy shots throughout the match.

“Hopefully, I can get to the final in Roland Garros and maybe the ‘third time is a charm’ thing is a real thing,” Gauff told reporters.

“I made the final with those errors. Made the final maybe not playing my best tennis. It just gives me confidence if I can find that good form heading into Roland Garros, I can do well there.”

Gauff, who will nevertheless be world number two heading into the French Open, lost five of her nine service games and ended a poor evening’s work with a failed service return attempt which handed Paolini possibly the biggest win of her career. AFP