Jasmine Paolini suffered yet another early tournament exit on Saturday, losing to Elise Mertens at the Italian Open.
Paolini, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, was beaten 6-4, 6-7, 3-6 on the Italian Open Centre Court, ending her hopes of winning a second consecutive title at the event.
As a result, Paolini is set to fall five places to world number 13: her lowest ranking on the WTA Tour for two years.
It has been a difficult season for the 30-year-old, who has failed to reach the semi-finals of a WTA event since Indian Wells at the start of March.
Paolini voiced her frustrations after losing to Mertens in Rome, admitting she was ‘not happy.’
Jasmine Paolini admits she is ‘not happy’ about her recent WTA results
During her post-match press conference, Paolini was asked whether she was ‘frustrated’ by her results on the WTA Tour this year.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not really happy about my results, of course,” the Italian replied. “I think I have to try to be more positive and to look forward to the next tournaments. I think it’s getting better and feeling better, feeling more positive on court. That’s important.
Jasmine Paolini’s 2026 results on the WTA Tour
- Australian Open – third round – lost to Iva Jovic
- Qatar Open – second round [first match] – lost to Maria Sakkari
- Dubai Tennis Championships – second round [first match] – lost to Alexandra Eala
- Merida Open – semi-finals – lost to Cristina Bucsa
- Indian Wells – fourth round – lost to Talia Gibson
- Miami – third round – lost to Jelena Ostapenko
- Stuttgart – first round – lost to Zeynep Sonmez
- Madrid – third round – lost to Hailey Baptiste
- Rome – third round – lost to Elise Mertens
“Today with a tough opponent I was competitive. I stayed there. I mean, I managed to play my game. That’s important to me.
“We have to adjust few things – I know that – to win these kinds of matches. It’s getting better. This is important to me.”
Two years ago, Paolini enjoyed her best year on the WTA Tour. The Italian reached Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, while also winning the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Of course, the sport of tennis is far from linear, and Paolini has been the latest to suffer the effects of this, with her results on the Tour declining in significance over the past year.
“I don’t know,” Paolini said when asked to compare her current level to two years ago.
“Two years ago I did here first round, then I did final in Roland Garros. So tennis is like that. Is the positive and the negative things sometimes.
“I know that I have to stay there every tournament. I know that I have to put quality on the court, off the court, practicing, in the gym, then to be more lucid in important points.
“I think also putting more matches, the high-quality matches, help you in those kind of moments.
“But I think we are going in the right direction. As I said, I’m feeling better. That’s important. Tennis is like that: sometimes goes well, sometimes not.
“The important thing to me, it’s stay there, believe it, take the chance. To take the chance, you have to stay there and believe.”
Jasmine Paolini’s French Open campaign
Paolini’s path to the French Open title has been made significantly more difficult following her early exit in Rome.
The 30-year-old has fallen out of the top eight, meaning she will now be scheduled to play a top eight seed in the round of 16, rather than the quarter-finals.
However, an opportunity has presented itself to Paolini amid a tumultuous season on the WTA Tour.
Last year, the Italian reached the fourth round in Paris, earning 240 WTA ranking points.
Therefore, if Paolini were to recapture her best form and reach the latter stages in Paris, she could find herself back in the WTA top 10.
Is Aryna Sabalenka playing well enough to win the French Open?
She's 4-2 on clay this year…
Of course, this will be easier said than done. With Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina in great form, it is difficult to envisage any other player challenging for the Roland Garros title.
