Matteo Berrettini recently celebrated the achievement of his fellow Italian, Jasmine Paolini, as she advanced to the final of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Paolini commenced her journey in the tournament as an unseeded contender with a remarkable comeback victory over 11th-seed Beatriz Haddad Maia. Despite a slow start and dropping the first set, she rallied to claim victory with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Continuing her impressive form, Paolini defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-4, and then dispatched eighth-seed Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-2. A fortuitous pass to the quarterfinals followed as her scheduled opponent, Elena Rybakina, withdrew due to illness.
In the semifinals, Paolini faced a tough challenge from Romania’s Sorana Cirstea but emerged victorious with a hard-fought 6-2, 7-6 (6) win after nearly two hours of intense competition.
Berrettini, acknowledging Paolini’s achievement, took to Instagram to express his support, commenting “Jassssssss” on a video capturing her triumphant moment against Cirstea. This marks Paolini’s first appearance in the final of a WTA 1000 event.
In the championship match, Paolini will face an in-form Anna Kalinskaya, who caused an upset by defeating Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. With their head-to-head record tied at 1-1, the final promises to be a closely contested affair.
Notably, Paolini and Kalinskaya met earlier this year in the fourth round of the Australian Open, where Kalinskaya emerged victorious with a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Regardless of the final outcome, both Paolini and Kalinskaya are set to achieve career-high rankings following their impressive performances in Dubai, with the WTA standings expected to reflect these accomplishments come Monday.
