Playing her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, Jasmine Paolini defeated former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-2 4-6 6-4 to reach the semifinals of the 2024 French Open.
In the first set, Paolini was unassailable, not facing any break points and converting two out of nine break opportunities. Her serving statistics were particularly impressive: she won 8 out of 9 points (89%) on her first serve and a perfect 8 out of 8 points (100%) on her second serve.
World No.15 Paolini went up a break twice in the second set but failed to consolidate her lead both times. Rybakina capitalized on this, winning two consecutive games from 4-4 to take the set.
The third set began with four consecutive breaks of serve, as Rybakina repeatedly fought back from being a break down. However, at 4-4 Paolini broke once again and then converted her first match point in her subsequent service game to make her best career result at a Grand Slam.
The first semifinal pair at Roland Garros 2024 was determined yesterday, Iga Swiatek vs. Coco Gauff. Paolini’s semifinal opponent will be the winner of the last quarterfinal, the winner of the upcoming match between Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva.
