publish time

11/07/2024

author name Arab Times

publish time

11/07/2024

Jasmine Paolini of Italy plays a forehand return to Donna Vekic of Croatia during their semifinal match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London. (AP )

LONDON, July 11, (AP): Jasmine Paolini reached her second consecutive Grand Slam final with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) victory over unseeded Donna Vekic at Wimbledon on Thursday in a rollicking match that lasted 2 hours, 51 minutes.

Paolini kept coming back, coming back, coming back - after dropping the opening set, after being two games from defeat at 4-all in the second, after twice trailing by a break in the third at 3-1 and 4-3 at Centre Court.

But the No. 7-seeded Paolini never disappeared, eventually converting her third match point. This showing on the grass courts of the All England Club follows her runner-up finish to Iga Swiatek on the red clay at Roland Garros last month.
The 28-year-old Italian is the first woman to get to the title matches at the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season since Serena Williams in 2015 and 2016.