Jasmine Paolini reached the semifinals of the “WTA 1000” tournament for the first time in her career, and the athlete from Italy talked about the strategy she will use in the match against Sorana Kirstea from Dubai.

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Jasmine Paolini: “I will have to play very long balls, run a lot, be consistent and aggressive”

Paolini she beat three big names from the women’s circuit in Dubai: Beatrice Haddad Maia (11th favorite), Leila Fernandez (US Open 2021 finalist) and Maria Sakkari (8th), and in the quarters she won by finishing Elena Rybakina (4th and ).

“I think I will have to play against her very reliably, with very long balls. I’m sure he’ll try to vary a lot, so I’ll have to run a lot.

Sorana is a very good opponent, she can hit great forehands, she has a good forehand, she also plays very well in the layer. The key to her victory will be to be consistent throughout the match and maintain her level of aggression at all times.

I felt strange (after departure of Olena Rybakina – none). I hope he recovers as soon as possible. I can’t hide the fact that I was happy, this is my first WTA 1000 semi-final. It’s hard not to be happy.

We had three great matches here against three very strong opponents. I’m confident in my game” – Jasmine Paolini.

The presence in the semifinals of the tournament in the United Arab Emirates is Jasmine’s best result in the “WTA 1000” competition. The last player to achieve this feat after 28 years was Camila Giorgi (Montreal, 2021).

After the tournament in Dubai, Jasmin already achieved her best result in her career. He is currently ranked 22nd (highest was 24th), but can climb to 16th (by defeating Soran) or 14th (if he wins the challenge).

The Italian won her only WTA title at Portorož (Slovenia), 2021when she even beat Sorana Kirstea in the quarters, score 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. Jasmin played three more finals: Cluj-Napoca (2022), Palermo and Monastery (2023).

Sorana and Jasmin also met in the first round of Roland Garros-2023, and the Italian won: 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

What you need to know before the match between Sorana Kirstea and Jasmine Paolini

• For reaching the semifinals in Dubai, Kirstya will receive a check for $158,944 and 390 points in the WTA singles ranking.

• If she passes Paolini, Sorana Kirstea will score 2,483 points and move up to 15th place in the WTA Live ranking (which will be the best ranking in her career).

• In case of defeat by Jasmin, the Romanian will overtake even the Italian and will remain in 22nd place (the highest was 21st in August 2013). Sorana could also be defeated by Anna Kalinska if she loses in the semifinals and the Russian wins the competition.

Sorana Cîrstea, virtual track from WTA Dubai

First round: 6-3, 7-6(2) vs. Sofia Kenin

II round: 6-1, 6-4 against Veronika Kudermetova

Best result: 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 against Donna Vekic

Quarters: 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-2 against Marketa Vondrousova

Semifinal: Jasmine Paolini

Final: Iga Svyatek / Anna Kalinska.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships runs from February 18 to 24 on hard, is part of the “WTA 1000” category and has a total prize pool of $3,211,715. Simona Halep won the tournament in 2015 and 2020, and the reigning champion is Barbora Krejcikova.