Jasmine Paolini beats Coco Gauff to win Italian Open

📍 Rome, Italy – May 18, 2025

In front of a roaring home crowd, Jasmine Paolini made history on Saturday by becoming the first Italian woman in 40 years to win the Italian Open, defeating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 in a commanding performance.

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🇮🇹 Historic Victory for Italy

The last Italian woman to win the title was Raffaella Reggi in 1985, making Paolini’s victory at the Foro Italico a landmark moment for Italian tennis. With Jannik Sinner set to face Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s final on Sunday, Italy could witness a rare and historic sweep of the Rome singles titles.

Adding to the celebration, President Sergio Mattarella was present in the crowd, a sign of how the nation is rallying behind its tennis stars.

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💬 Fan Support and National Pride

Chants of "Vai Jasmine!" ("Go Jasmine!") echoed through the stadium as fans waved Italian flags. The energy seemed to fuel Paolini’s relentless form as she capitalized on Gauff’s unforced errors and double faults.

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🏆 Climbing the Rankings

Currently ranked No. 5, Paolini will rise to No. 4 in the WTA rankings on Monday. This upward movement will give her a more favorable position in the draw at the upcoming French Open, where she will enter as one of the strong contenders.

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🔁 Repeat Defeat for Gauff

Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion and World No. 3, has now finished runner-up in two consecutive clay-court finals, having also lost to Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid just two weeks ago. Paolini also defeated Gauff earlier this year in Stuttgart, signaling a budding rivalry on clay.

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👫 Double Dreams Still Alive

Paolini is not done yet — she and fellow Italian Sara Errani are into the women’s doubles final, where they will face Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens. A doubles title would make Paolini the first woman since Monica Seles in 1990 to win both singles and doubles in the same year at Rome.