Italy’s Jasmine Paolini saved six set points in the second set to beat Sorana Cristea 6-2 7-6 (8-6) in 1 hour and 57 minutes in a match between two unseeded players at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Paolini reached the first WTA 1000 Final of her career.
Paolini earned her first break after four deuces in the fourth game and held her serve at 30 to open up a 4-1 lead. The Italian player closed out the first set 6-2 on her second set point in the eighth game.
Paolini converted her second break point in the fourth game of the second set to build up a 6-2 3-1 lead. Cristea broke straight back in the fifth game, but Paolini hit two forehand winners to regain the break lead for 4-2 in the sixth game. Cristea, who saved six match points to come back from 6-2 5-1 against Marketa Vondrousova in the quarter finals, saved a match point with a backhand winner down the line.
Paolini had to fend off five set point, as Cristea served out the second set at 6-5. Cristea converted her fifth break point with a forehand winner on the return.
Paolini saved a sixth set point with a forehand winner in the tie-break. The Italian player sealed the win on her second match point, as Cristea sent her backhand wide.
Paolini has improved her lead to 3-0 in her head-to-head matches, to secure her spot in the fifth WTA Tour final of her career. She will play her first title match since Monastir last October. Paolini played in the Billie Jean King Cup final and reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career at the Australian Open. She received a nomination in the WTA Awards for the Most Improved Player. With this result she has moved up to world number 16 in the World Rankings.
She has become the fifth Italian player to reach a WTA 1000 level final following Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani, Flavia Pennetta and Camila Giorgi.
“I gave you a little bit of drama at the end. I had a chance on 4-2 40-15, but she starting to play better, to hit winners. The last two matches I play against her, more or less was the same score. I won the first set, the second set was a little bit complicated, then I won again the third set. I was like, please, if I am going to lose this set, start again in the third set, and to move and to play deep again, to push again, but I was just trying to stay in the present. It was tough. She is playing really well when she is little bit down in the score. She is trying to hit more winners, to play faster. I just said to myself to move the legs and try to keep hitting hard the ball, because if she is not going to move me and if she is going to hit the winner first”, said Paolini.
