Jasmine Paolini suffered yet another early exit on Saturday, losing to Hailey Baptiste in the Madrid Open third round.
Paolini, the eighth seed in the Spanish capital, was defeated 5-7, 3-6 by her American opponent; who will play Belinda Bencic in the next round.
For Paolini, Saturday’s contest represented just one of many disappointing results at the start of this year.
The two-time Grand Slam finalist has failed to capture her best form in recent months – advancing past the fourth-round stage of an event just once.
The Italian star – who has become a talismanic figure for Italian tennis – must improve her form soon or risk sliding down the rankings.
Jasmine Paolini’s poor start to the 2026 season
Jasmine Paolini began her 2026 campaign in Melbourne, where she lost in the Australian Open third round to youngster Iva Jovic.
Three weeks later, the Italian was defeated in her opening Qatar Open match by Greek star Maria Sakkari.
Paolini’s struggles continued in Dubai, where she lost her opening match to Filipina Alexandra Eala [pictured below.]
Paolini’s crowning moment of the 2026 season to date occurred in Mexico. The 28-year-old defeated Priscilla Hon and Katie Boulter to reach the semi-finals, before losing to Cristina Bucsa in straight sets.
Again Paolini showed signs of a return to form in Indian Wells after beating Anastasia Potapova and Alja Tomaljanovic.
However, her hopes of winning the Californian title were dashed by Australian youngster Talia Gibson.
Paolini’s woes continued in Miami, as she lost in her third-round match to Jelena Ostapenko.
Earlier this month, Paolini suffered another early exit in Stuttgart, this time at the hands of Zeynep Sonmez.
| Tournament | Round | Opponent |
| Australian Open | Third round | lost to Iva Jovic |
| Qatar Open | Second round [first match] | Maria Sakkari |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | Second round [first match | Alexandra Eala |
| Mexico Open | Semi-finals | Cristina Bucsa |
| Indian Wells | Fourth round | Talia Gibson |
| Miami Open | Third round | Jelena Ostapenko |
| Stuttgart Open | First round | Zeynep Sonmez |
| Madrid Open | Third round | Hailey Baptiste |
Paolini’s form has been poor to say the least.
She will hope to return to her best form at her home event in Rome, which will begin on May 5.
Jasmine Paolini’s crucial month
Luckily for Paolini, she defended all of her WTA ranking points at this year’s Madrid Open.
Last year, the Italian also reached the third round after beating Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-2.
There, she lost to Maria Sakkari in straight sets.
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Paolini will hope to recapture her best form ahead of the Italian Open. After all, she is defending 650 WTA ranking points after reaching last year’s final.
If the 28-year-old were to suffer yet another early exit in Rome, she would likely fall outside the WTA top-10.
