In one sense, Jasmine Paolini’s week at the Dubai Tennis Championships ended just as it began. The Italian opened her campaign with a tenacious fightback against Beatriz Haddad Maia, and concluded it with an equally dramatic comeback against Anna Kalinskaya. A set and a break down on both occasions, the spirit and tenacity that underpinned those performances told us nothing new about Paolini, and yet the past seven days have changed everything for the 28-year-old.
With a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over Kalinskaya, the Russian qualifier whose electrifying run to the final included wins over Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff, Paolini claimed the biggest title of her career. Her only previous tour-level crown came at the Slovenia Open in 2021, a relatively modest WTA 250 event; now she joins Camila Giorgi and Flavia Pennetta as one of only three Italian women to have won a WTA 1000 title.
Paolini’s success also elevates her to a career-high ranking of No 14, a rise of 10 places on her best previous mark, which she achieved after reaching the fourth round of last month’s Australian Open – where she was defeated by Kalinskaya.
“It’s unbelievable, I don’t know what to say,” said Paolini. “I lost to her in the Australian Open. I knew she was tough. She was playing really, really well. Honestly, I don’t know how I managed to win the match because she was playing too good at the beginning.
“I tried to play maybe more on the backhand, tried to push more, to be also more relaxed, to take the ball earlier because if not, she was moving me so much. I was running a lot. But the key I think was to believe that even if I was down, I could turn the match.”
It was a challenge tailor-made for a player who had already recovered from a set and a break down to defeat Haddad Mai, the 11th seed, in the opening round, and saved six set points to foil a second-set comeback from Sorana Cirstea in the semi-finals.
Kalinskaya started in the same dominant form that propelled her to the final, moving inside the baseline, dictating the rallies with her smooth, powerful groundstrokes and feasting on Paolini’s second serve. When the 25-year-old, already a set to the good, rifled a backhand return winner to break at the start of the second set, an advantage she consolidated with ease in the next game, it was hard to see a way back for Paolini. It was at that point that the Italian dug in.
“I think maybe the key game was when I was down 2-0 in the second set,” said Paolini. “I was serving. I said, ‘C’mon, you have to try to play every point, you have to try to do something. Just think about simple things. Try to serve more maybe on the backhand, some more speed on the serve, try to move the ball.’
“I was just thinking about easy stuff to do on court. It worked pretty well. Then I started badly again in the third set. I have to say, at the end of the match maybe she missed some balls that she never missed all the match. It’s tough. Tennis is tough mentally.”
After coming out on top of a run of three straight breaks of serve at the start of the decider, Kalinskaya appeared to have the match on her racket. But having maintained her advantage all the way to 5-4, the magnitude of the moment finally seemed to catch up with the world No 40, her trademark composure deserting her as she committed four unforced errors in a row. Kalinskaya will nonetheless take plenty away from what has been an unforgettable week.
“The season just started and it’s a great start for me,” said Kalinskaya. “Now I know what I’m capable of, I hope I will keep showing my game”
As for Paolini, gifted a reprieve, she seized her chance gleefully. She too has had a remarkable journey.
“I think every person has her own steps, story,” said Paolini. “I need some more time to believe maybe that I could play at this level, how I did this week. It’s not going to be like this I know every week. It’s tough. It’s the best players in the world.
“But I’m here enjoying my tennis, enjoying the matches on court. I’m just loving what I do, just trying to live the present, to stay there, to make the best I could do in that moment. I’m really, really happy.”