Jasmine Paolini is headed to the Miami Open semi-finals for the first time.
Sixth-seeded Paolini defeated unseeded Magda Linette of Poland 6-3 6-2 on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to make the tournament’s final four this year.
She is also the first Italian woman to make the semi-finals at Miami.
Before Miami, she had not reached any quarter-finals in 2025, and she was bested in the Round of 16 at all three of this year’s previous WTA 1000 events: Doha, Dubai and Indian Wells.
“I think I didn’t play bad this season, but I didn’t have a great result,” Paolini said after Tuesday’s win.
“But I was there. I lost many matches, but to big opponents.
“[It] was tough, but at the same time I was repeating to myself that, you know, I’m there.
“Maybe I need just a little bit more of confidence. It came here, maybe.”
Paolini will face top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals after she topped ninth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China 6-2, 7-5, capping a day where rain postponed many matches by several hours.
Sabalenka had also never made it into the Miami Open semi-finals before this year.
She has won 16 of her 18 WTA singles titles on hard courts, but her previous best Miami showings were quarter-final appearances in 2021 and 2023.
The other side of the women’s bracket is set for quarter-final matches on Wednesday, with fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula of the US taking on Britain’s Emma Radacanu, and second-seeded Iga Swiatek facing Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.
Content Source: www.perthnow.com.au