Paolini reaches Wimbledon final after marathon match against Vekic
It was the longest women’s semifinal at the All England Club
11 July 2024 - 20:41
byChristian Radnedge
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Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates winning her semifinal match against Croatia's Donna Vekic in London, Britain, July 11 2024. Picture: REUTERS/PAUL CHILDS
London — Seventh-seed Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to reach the Wimbledon final after defeating Croatian Donna Vekic 2-6 6-4 7-6(8) on Thursday in the longest women’s semifinal at the All England Club.
Fans were treated to a roller-coaster encounter on Centre Court as both players exhausted themselves seeking a spot in the final against either Barbora Krejcikova or 2022 champion Elena Rybakina.
The two 28-year-olds were in uncharted territory, with Vekic playing the first major semifinal of her career, while Paolini had never even won a match on grass before this year.
The Croatian took the opening set comfortably having broken Paolini, a surprise finalist at the French Open in June, in the fifth game and then again in the seventh with her mixture of groundstrokes and drop shots proving too much for the Italian under a sunny sky.
However, Paolini, cheered on by a loud contingent of Italians in the crowd, became more aggressive in the second as she approached the net more and put Vekic on the back foot. Her diligence and energy eventually paid off with a break to clinch the set.
The pair exchanged numerous breaks in the decider as both racked up the unforced errors, particularly Vekic who looked fatigued and emotional as the match wore on. She was in tears after saving Paolini’s first match point.
A successful challenge overturning a line call helped Paolini hold an almost 10-minute game that ended in Vekic sobbing in her chair at the changeover.
The Croatian rallied to save another match point and held serve to force a tiebreak but looked laboured as she made 57 unforced errors in total and voiced her frustration to coach Pam Shriver in the players’ box.
Paolini, in contrast, looked just as energised as she did at the start. She prevailed and won the 2hr 51min epic, during which both players ran more than 3.5km, to reach her second successive Grand Slam final.
“These last months have been crazy for me. I am trying to focus on what I have to do on court and I love playing tennis. It is amazing to be here and it is a dream,” Paolini, who reached the semifinals in Eastbourne in June, said on court.
“I think it was an intense match and I tried to play my best and now it’s time to recover. I think I need an ice bath as my legs are a little tired.”
The previous longest women’s semifinal at Wimbledon was 2hr 50min between Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva in 2009.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Paolini reaches Wimbledon final after marathon match against Vekic
It was the longest women’s semifinal at the All England Club
London — Seventh-seed Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to reach the Wimbledon final after defeating Croatian Donna Vekic 2-6 6-4 7-6(8) on Thursday in the longest women’s semifinal at the All England Club.
Fans were treated to a roller-coaster encounter on Centre Court as both players exhausted themselves seeking a spot in the final against either Barbora Krejcikova or 2022 champion Elena Rybakina.
The two 28-year-olds were in uncharted territory, with Vekic playing the first major semifinal of her career, while Paolini had never even won a match on grass before this year.
The Croatian took the opening set comfortably having broken Paolini, a surprise finalist at the French Open in June, in the fifth game and then again in the seventh with her mixture of groundstrokes and drop shots proving too much for the Italian under a sunny sky.
However, Paolini, cheered on by a loud contingent of Italians in the crowd, became more aggressive in the second as she approached the net more and put Vekic on the back foot. Her diligence and energy eventually paid off with a break to clinch the set.
The pair exchanged numerous breaks in the decider as both racked up the unforced errors, particularly Vekic who looked fatigued and emotional as the match wore on. She was in tears after saving Paolini’s first match point.
A successful challenge overturning a line call helped Paolini hold an almost 10-minute game that ended in Vekic sobbing in her chair at the changeover.
The Croatian rallied to save another match point and held serve to force a tiebreak but looked laboured as she made 57 unforced errors in total and voiced her frustration to coach Pam Shriver in the players’ box.
Paolini, in contrast, looked just as energised as she did at the start. She prevailed and won the 2hr 51min epic, during which both players ran more than 3.5km, to reach her second successive Grand Slam final.
“These last months have been crazy for me. I am trying to focus on what I have to do on court and I love playing tennis. It is amazing to be here and it is a dream,” Paolini, who reached the semifinals in Eastbourne in June, said on court.
“I think it was an intense match and I tried to play my best and now it’s time to recover. I think I need an ice bath as my legs are a little tired.”
The previous longest women’s semifinal at Wimbledon was 2hr 50min between Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva in 2009.
Reuters
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