Jasmine Paolini will play the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 in Stuttgart for the first time in her career. The number 7 seeding, the Tunisian, was beaten Our Jabeur, by 7-6(8) 6-4, after an hour and three quarters. Excellent match from the Tuscan, who manages to defuse a version of the two-time Wimbledon finalist that appears better than what we have seen in recent weeks, during the profound crisis of her results. Now for the Italian number 1 there is the Kazakh Elena Rybakina (historical detail of the comparison: she won in Rome, the Italian retired in Cincinnati and then there was the walkover in Dubai).
The fight is there and it is not little from the beginning, with Jabeur who starts a little tense and suffers the break, also thanks to an immediately aggressive Paolini who, specifically, obtains results with the forehand. The Italian, to confirm and go 3-0, goes back from 0-30, but an empty pass arrives for her which costs her three chances to bring the Tunisian back. The second, in particular, sees Jabeur very lucky, with the return hitting the tape and falling into the Tuscan side of the pitch. From then on, nothing significant happens until the tie-break, in which the North African recovers a minibreak deficit from 5-3 and, with a good return and a very valid drop, rises to set point only to see a forehand from Paolini finish on the line (a fact also confirmed by chair umpire Alexander Franke). The Italian has two set points, but she is always the first of Jabeur to say no. On the third, however, the second arrives and with it also the set, because the ribbon is blue and drags away a dangerous forehand.
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The second set is much more particular in terms of performance: the Tuscan manages to find herself ahead by a break already at 2-1, thanks to an excellent game in return, but immediately suffers the counterbreak and also the best moment of Jabeur, who combines many replies winners at its traditional varied game, substantially unique in the entire WTA circuit. The games become practically all fought, but first with a forehand and then with a backhand Paolini climbs up to the break at 30 in the ninth game. A few minutes later she erases a break point (or rather, it is the Tunisian who wastes it with a forehand) and then, she sees her opponent’s backhand return go beyond the court for a moment of excellent satisfaction.
Beyond the minimal difference in points won (84-77), the real difference lies in the first players on the pitch (close to 71% for the Italian, 56% for the Tunisian). For the rest everything is essentially identical in terms of points won with first and second. What matters, however, is seeing Paolini’s excellent condition even in the season on his best surface.
2024-04-18 15:35:43
#Ons #Jabeur #beat #pass #quarterfinals
