Jasmine Paolini extended an amazing run at the 2024 Roland Garros by beating 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva to secure a maiden Grand Slam final.
Paolini spent much of her career in the Top 100 but never really broke out in a major fashion. After years of trying, the Italian is finally there, ensured to debut in the Top 10 with her previous victory and confirmed it by getting into the final.
She's not here by chance but by hard work and a really solid player when it mattered. Her win over Elena Rybakina was hugely impressive, and she continued in a similar style also against the Russian teenager.
The Russian had a really strong showing against Aryna Sabalenka in the previous round, but this time around, she didn't play as sharply. She had moments where she played incredible tennis, but for the most part the Italian has been the more solid player.
The emphasis is clearly on solid because she didn't make as many unforced errors as Andreeva did. The Russian had a similar approach to how she played against Sabalenka but she wasn't as efficient as in that match.
The opening set had just too many errors from the teenager, especially towards the end of the set. She totaled 17 of those in only 9 games of play, which is nearly two per game. She also had 7 winners, but that's not a good enough ratio.
Paolini remained stable, focusing on helping her opponent beat herself. The second set opened similarly. the Italian once again jumped out to an early lead, and from there, it was pretty simple to cruise to the finish line.
Andreeva simply never found a good rhythm and made too many errors. The final score was 6-3, 6-1 for Paolini, who will play in her first major final, taking on Iga Swiatek.
Jasmine Paolini vs Mirra Andreeva Match Stats:
| Jasmine Paolini | 6-3, 6-1 | Mirra Andreeva |
| 1 | Aces | 1 |
| 0 | Double Faults | 1 |
| 80% | First Serve % | 61% |
| 67% (32/48) | Points Won After First Serve % | 61% (17/28) |
| 58% (7/12) | Points Won After Second Serve % | 33% (6/18) |
| 50% (3/6) | Break Point Conversion | 0% (0/6) |
| 13 | Winners | 11 |
| 10 | Unforced Errors | 30 |
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