World No. 7 Jasmine Paolini couldn’t hide her happiness after becoming the first player since Serena Williams to reach the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same season as the 28-year-old described the last few months as “crazy” and “amazing.”
On Thursday, Paolini’s fairytale 2024 season continued after she outlasted former world No. 19 Donna Vekic 2-6 6-4 7-6 (8) in two hours and 51 minutes of play in what was the longest women’s semifinal at Wimbledon.
By reaching the Wimbledon final, Paolini – who finished as runner-up to Iga Swiatek in this year’s French Open final – became the first player since Williams in 2016 to reach the final at Roland Garros and The Championships in the same season.
Before this season, the 28-year-old Italian didn’t have any really strong results on the biggest stage and had never been ranked inside the top-20. But now, Paolini is a WTA 1000 champion – a two-time Grand Slam finalist – and has secured breaking into the top-5 for the first time in her career.
And moments after beating Vekic, Paolini was asked on the court how she felt about emulating an impressive Williams Grand Slam feat.
“These last months have been crazy for me. I don’t know. I’m trying to just focus on what I have to do on court. Just enjoying…
