Jasmine Paolini will hope to kickstart her 2026 season at the Dubai Tennis Championships when she faces Alexandra Eala on Tuesday.
Paolini has been inconsistent to start the year, losing in the third round of the Australian Open and the first round of the Qatar Open.
These inconsistencies may allow Alexandra Eala to capitalise when the pair face off.
When she steps onto the court to play Eala, Paolini will hope to recapture the form that saw her win the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships.
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Ahead of the 2026 event, Paolini offered her thoughts on the tournament, explaining why she finds it ‘weird’ when playing at the event.
Jasmine Paolini finds playing in Dubai ‘weird’ due to her previous struggles at the event
Speaking to reporters in Dubai, Paolini said: “It helped me, this tournament. Of course, here I have great memories. It’s a weird place to play tennis because I remember before winning that tournament in 2024, I was like here I cannot play well (smiling).
“In that year, something changed. I don’t know why.
“But it’s not easy to play here because there are few courts that are really fast. The centre court, it’s a bit different. We have to adapt to it.
“Of course, coming from Doha, which was very, very slow, the court, here it’s a bit different. But I like those conditions I think.
“Hopefully it gives me energy for this tournament, but also for the rest of the season.”
If Paolini defeats Eala on Tuesday, she will play Linda Noskova or Sorana Cirstea in the round of 16. If Paolini reaches the quarter-finals, she will play either Coco Gauff, Emma Navarro, Anna Kalinskaya or Elise Mertens.
Paolini will hope to improve upon her performance at the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships, where she lost in the round of 16 to Sofia Kenin.
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Jasmine Paolini’s 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships run
In 2024, Jasmine Paolini enjoyed a breakthrough year on the WTA Tour.
The Italian’s first significant tournament win came at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Paolini, unseeded at the event, defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia, Leylah Fernandez and Maria Sakkari on her way to the quarter-finals.
Paolini then advanced to the semi-finals without stepping onto court following Elena Rybakina’s withdrawal.
The Italian defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 7-6 in the final, setting up a clash with Anna Kalinskaya in the final.
Paolini defeated the Russian player 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, winning her first WTA 1000 title.
Later that year, Paolini reached the French Open final and Wimbledon final, losing to Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova, respectively.
