Jasmine Paolini produced a stellar display to knock Iga Swiatek out of the Wuhan Open and secure a place in the semi-final.
Paolini broke a Coco Gauff record against Swiatek as she raced to an imperious 6-1, 6-2 victory over the World No. 2.
The Italian had never previously defeated Swiatek in their six meetings, but she got the better of the Pole in their seventh match.
Paolini’s win means she’s achieved something that has not been managed in a decade, dating back to 2015.
Jasmine Paolini becomes the first Italian semi-finalist at the Wuhan Open for a decade
Paolini has become just the second Italian to reach the Wuhan Open semi-final, and the nation has had to wait a decade for the Italian’s succession to the final four.
The last Italian to reach the semi-finals at the Wuhan Open was Roberta Vinci, who managed to do so in 2015.
The Italian played Serena Williams, but narrowly lost to the American in a match that went three sets and a tie-break decider.
The clash was a re-match of the pair’s epic battle at the US Open, which the Italian won in what is widely considered one of the biggest upsets of all time.
Paolini will not be as much of an underdog in her semi-final match, but she does face a tricky test against Coco Gauff.
Jasmine Paolini and Coco Gauff’s head-to-head record
Gauff and Paolini collide in the Wuhan Open semi-final with an incredibly close head-to-head record from their five matches.
Paolini will head into the match with the boost of knowing that she’s won three of their five matches, but she’s also got a terrific record against the American in their most recent matches.
The Italian has defeated Gauff three times in a row to swing their head-to-head in her favour, including at the Rome Open and the Cincinnati Open.
Both of the World No. 3’s wins came on hard courts in 2021 and 2023 at the Adelaide 500 and the Cincinnati Open.
