# Jasmine Paolini

Jasmine Paolini (Italian:; born 4 January 1996) is an Italian professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as world No. 4 in singles by the WTA, tying the record for the highest-ranked Italian singles player with Francesca Schiavone, and No. 7 in doubles. Paolini is a three-time major finalist, contesting the singles and doubles finals of the 2024 French Open and the singles final of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Paolini has won two singles and seven doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including a WTA 1000 singles title at the 2024 Dubai Championships, two WTA 1000 doubles titles (2024 Italian Open and 2024 China Open), and an Olympic gold medal in doubles, partnering with Sara Errani. Paolini was part of the Italian team that won the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup, being given the Heart Award.

## Early life

Paolini was born in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana and grew up between Carrara and Forte dei Marmi, in Tuscany. Her father, Ugo, is Italian and her mother, Jacqueline, is of Polish and Ghanaian descent, originally from Łódź. Her maternal grandmother, who lives in Łódź, is Polish and her maternal grandfather, who lives in Copenhagen, is Ghanaian. Her brother, William, also plays tennis.
She was introduced to tennis by her father and uncle at the age of five, and trained at the Mirafiume Tennis Club in Bagni di Lucca in her youth. At the age of 15, she moved to Tirrenia for training.

## Career
### Juniors

In January 2013, Paolini won her only junior title at the J4 Wilson ITF Junior Classic in Bergheim. She made her Junior Grand Slam debut after qualifying for the US Open later that year. She reached the third round in singles, before losing to eventual finalist Tornado Alicia Black. She also reached the third round of the Australian Open in January 2014.

### 2015–2017: WTA Tour debut, first 100k title

In May 2015, Paolini received a wildcard into the main draw of the doubles tournament at the Italian Open with Nastassja Burnett. The pair lost in the first round to Alla Kudryavtseva and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
In June 2017, Paolini won her first 100k title at Marseille where she defeated Taylor Townsend, Sara Cakarevic, Anhelina Kalinina, Dalma Gálfi, and top seed Tatjana Maria. She made her WTA Tour singles debut in the following month at the Swedish Open but lost in the first round to fifth seed Carla Suárez Navarro. She also entered the Guangzhou International Open and lost in the first round to third seed Anett Kontaveit.

### 2018–2020: WTA Tour wins, top 100

After failing to qualify for the 2018 Australian Open, Paolini represented Italy in the Fed Cup against Spain in the World Group II and against Belgium in the World Group play-offs. In April 2018, she recorded her first WTA Tour win at the Copa Colsanitas against qualifier Lizette Cabrera. The following month, as a lucky loser at the Prague Open, she upset third seed Daria Kasatkina and defeated Anna Karolína Schmiedlová to reach her first WTA quarterfinal.
In May 2019, she made her WTA 1000 singles debut as a wildcard at the Italian Open, but lost in the first round to Sofia Kenin. Later that month, she qualified for her first Grand Slam tournament at the French Open by defeating Anna Zaja, Rebecca Šramková, and Allie Kiick in the qualifiers without dropping a set. She then reached the quarterfinals of the Palermo Ladies Open, defeating Laura Siegemund and Irina-Camelia Begu before losing to top seed Kiki Bertens. She also qualified for the main draw in Guangzhou and reached the quarterfinals. After reaching the final of the Tokyo Open in November 2019, Paolini reached a new career-high of world No. 96. She was the first Italian to reach the top 100 since Camila Giorgi in 2012.
In 2020, Paolini entered directly into the main draws of the Australian Open and the US Open, but failed to advance past the first round of either. She recorded her first WTA 1000 level win at the Italian Open by defeating Anastasija Sevastova in the first round. At the French Open, which was postponed to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Paolini recorded her first major win by defeating Aliona Bolsova in the first round. She also recorded her first doubles win at a major, partnering Varvara Gracheva and defeating Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok in the first round.

### 2021: WTA Tour singles & doubles titles

At the Gippsland Trophy in February 2021, Paolini reached her first WTA 500 third round, defeating Rebecca Marino and tenth seed Wang Qiang, before losing to eighth seed Karolína Muchová. She reached her first WTA 125 final at Saint-Malo by defeating Elsa Jacquemot, Nina Stojanović, Anna Karolína Schmiedlová, and Varvara Gracheva, before ultimately losing to Viktorija Golubic. She reached her second consecutive second round at the French Open with a win over Stefanie Vögele.
In June, she won her first WTA 125 title seeded third at the Bol Open, defeating Viktória Hrunčáková, Olga Govortsova, Kristína Kučová, top seed Anna Blinkova, and second seed Arantxa Rus. The following month, she won her first WTA Tour doubles title at the Hamburg European Open, partnering Jil Teichmann.
At the Summer Olympics, Paolini represented Italy in both singles and doubles. In singles, she lost in the first round to tenth seed Petra Kvitová. In doubles, she and partner Sara Errani, who had entered as alternates, reached the second round by upsetting the eighth-seeded team of Nicole Melichar and Alison Riske.
In September, she won her first career title at the Slovenia Open in Portorož, defeating sixth seed Dayana Yastremska, Anna Kalinskaya, fourth seed Sorana Cîrstea, second seed Yulia Putintseva, and third seed Alison Riske. The following month, she reached her first WTA 1000 third round, after qualifying for the Indian Wells Open and defeating Mai Hontama and 14th seed Elise Mertens. She ended season by reaching the semifinals of the Courmayeur Ladies Open and the quarterfinals of the Linz Open.

### 2022: Top 50, first top-10 win

At the Melbourne Summer Set 1, Paolini and partner Sara Errani reached the doubles final, but lost to the second-seeded team of Asia Muhammad and Jessica Pegula. Following the Australian Open, Paolini entered the WTA top 50 for the first time. She reached back-to-back third rounds at the Indian Wells Open, upsetting second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the second round for her first top-10 win.
Paolini reached back-to-back WTA 250 quarterfinals in Palermo and Warsaw. Attempting to defend her title in Portorož, Paolini defeated Tara Würth and Kaja Juvan, before losing to eventual champion Kateřina Siniaková in the quarterfinals. She reached her second WTA final at the Transylvania Open, defeating sixth seed Marta Kostyuk, Dayana Yastremska, Jule Niemeier, and seventh seed Wang Xiyu, before ultimately losing to qualifier Anna Blinkova. She ended her season by winning the $100k Torneig Internacional Els Gorchs.

### 2023: Italian No. 1, Billie Jean King Cup final

Paolini's 2023 season started out slow, with first-round exits at the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, and Madrid. She won her second WTA 125 title in May, seeded fourth at the Firenze Ladies Open, and reached the final of the Makarska International Championships the following month. In July, she reached the final at the Palermo Ladies Open as the fourth seed, defeating Arantxa Rus, Dayana Yastremska, top seed Daria Kasatkina, and Sara Sorribes Tormo, before losing to second seed Zheng Qinwen.
Paolini qualified for the Cincinnati Open, where she reached the quarterfinals with wins over Marta Kostyuk and Cristina Bucșa, and an early retirement by Elena Rybakina. The following month, she reached the first WTA 1000 doubles semifinal of her career, partnering Mayar Sherif, in Guadalajara.
At the China Open, Paolini reached the third round in singles with wins over Beatriz Haddad Maia and Yuan Yue. Following this result, she reached a new career-high ranking of No. 31 on 9 October and surpassed Elisabetta Cocciaretto as the No. 1 Italian female tennis player. At the Zhengzhou Open, she reached the semifinals defeating Moyuka Uchijima, world No. 10 Caroline Garcia, and Laura Siegemund, before losing to eventual champion Zheng Qinwen. The following week, she reached the final of the Jasmin Open in both singles and doubles. As the top seed in singles, she defeated Alizé Cornet, Petra Marčinko, sixth seed Lucia Bronzetti, and fourth seed Lesia Tsurenko, before losing to second seed and defending champion Elise Mertens. In doubles, she and partner Sara Errani won the title after saving a match point in the semifinals.
At the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November, Paolini and Team Italy defeated teams from France, Germany, and Slovenia, before losing to Team Canada in the final.

### 2024: Two major singles finals, Olympic gold

At the Australian Open, Paolini reached the fourth round of a major for the first time with wins over Diana Shnaider, Tatjana Maria, and Anna Blinkova, before being beaten by fellow first-time fourth rounder Anna Kalinskaya. Despite the loss, she reached a new career-high ranking of 24.
Playing with Sara Errani, she won the doubles title at the Linz Open in February, defeating top seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez in the final.
In Dubai, Paolini reached her second quarterfinal at WTA 1000 level, defeating 11th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, Leylah Fernandez and eighth seed Maria Sakkari. She reached her first final at this level, following a win over Sorana Cîrstea in the semifinals. In the final, she defeated qualifier Anna Kalinskaya to win her first WTA 1000 title, avenging her Australian Open loss earlier in the season. As a result, she moved into the top 15 of the rankings on 26 February 2024.
At the Indian Wells Open, Paolini reached the fourth round, defeating Tatjana Maria and 21st seed Anna Kalinskaya again, before losing to 28th seed Anastasia Potapova. She reached a new career-high ranking of No. 13 after a quarterfinal appearance at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where she defeated compatriot Sara Errani and seventh seed Ons Jabeur before losing to eventual champion Elena Rybakina. Following a fourth-round run in Madrid, she rose further to a career-high of No. 12.
Partnering with Sara Errani, Paolini reached the doubles final at the Italian Open and defeated the third-seeded team of Coco Gauff and Erin Routliffe to win her first WTA 1000 doubles title. As a result, she reached the top 25 in doubles on 20 May 2024. Seeded 12th at the French Open, Paolini reached a major quarterfinal for the first time with wins over Daria Saville, lucky loser Hailey Baptiste, 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, and Elina Avanesyan. She then upset fourth seed Elena Rybakina for her first top-five win at a major. In the semifinals, she defeated Mirra Andreeva to reach her first major final, which she lost to world No. 1, Iga Świątek. With Errani, she also reached the doubles final, but the pair lost to the fifth-seeded team of Coco Gauff and Kateřina Siniaková.
Having never won a match at the tournament, Paolini, seeded seventh, reached the final at Wimbledon, recording wins over Sara Sorribes Tormo, Greet Minnen, Bianca Andreescu, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro, and Donna Vekić. She became the first Italian woman to reach the Wimbledon semifinals in the Open Era, and the first woman to reach both the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same season since Serena Williams in 2016. Paolini ultimately lost in the final to 31st seed Barbora Krejčíková in three sets. Following her run, she reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 5, on 15 July 2024.
Seeded fourth in singles at the 2024 Summer Olympics, she was upset in the third round by world No. 67, Anna Karolína Schmiedlová. Seeded third in doubles, she and Errani won the gold medal, defeating Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider in the final.
In October, Paolini and Errani won the doubles title at the China Open, defeating Chan Hao-ching and Veronika Kudermetova in the final and becoming the first Italian doubles champions at the tournament. Following the title win, Paolini reached the top 10 in doubles at world No. 9 on 7 October 2024, becoming the only active player at the time, male or female, to be ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. In singles, at the same tournament, Paolini reached the third round, where she lost to 31st seed Magda Linette. At the next WTA 1000, the Wuhan Open, on her debut, she reached the singles quarterfinals with wins over Yuan Yue and lucky loser Erika Andreeva. Paolini lost to fifth seed and eventual runner-up Zheng Qinwen. As a result, she reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 4 tying the record for the highest-ranked Italian singles female player with Francesca Schiavone on 28 October 2024.
Aged 28, Paolini became the second oldest player, after Li Na, to make their debut at the WTA Finals in November, defeating Elena Rybakina in straight sets in her opening round-robin match. She lost her second match to Aryna Sabalenka. Paolini was defeated by eventual runner-up Zheng Qinwen in her final round-robin match and subsequently did not progress to the semifinals. Partnering with Sara Errani, she also exited the doubles in the round-robin stage after compiling a record of one win and two losses.
At the Billie Jean King Cup finals in Spain, Paolini defeated Moyuka Uchijima and then teamed with Sara Errani to overcome Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi as Italy won their quarterfinal tie against Japan. Italy faced Poland in the semifinals and, after losing her singles match to Iga Świątek, Paolini combined again with Sara Errani to defeat Katarzyna Kawa and Świątek in the decivisve doubles and secure a place in the final. She then defeated Rebecca Šramková to claim the winning points as Italy overcame Slovakia in the final to take the title.
In December, Paolini and Errani were named WTA Doubles Team of the Year.

### 2025: Qatar Open doubles title

Seeded fourth at the Australian Open, Paolini defeated qualifier Wei Sijia and Renata Zarazúa to reach the third round, where she lost to 28th seed Elina Svitolina in three sets.
Paolini and Sara Errani won their third WTA 1000 doubles title together at Doha, defeating Jiang Xinyu and Wu Fang-hsien in the final. The following week, her defense of her Dubai Championship title ended in the third round with a loss to Sofia Kenin during which she suffered an ankle injury that forced her to withdraw from the doubles competition at the tournament.

## Playing style

Paolini's playing style is dynamic and aggressive, characterized by solid groundstrokes. She uses heavy topspin on her forehand, but hits flat on her backhand. Due to her 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) height, she has stated, "I wish I was taller, because I could serve better." However, she possesses great speed and agility, a credit to her shorter stature, allowing her to outmaneuver opponents.

## Records

* Longest Wimbledon semifinal – 2024 versus Donna Vekić, lasting two hours and 51 minutes
* Joint highest ranked Italian female player in history (with Francesca Schiavone) at No.4
* Aged 28, second oldest player (after Li Na who was 29) to make their debut at the WTA Finals

## Career statistics
### Performance timelines

Key :
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Current through the 2025 Australian Open.

### Singles

| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L | Win% |
| Australian Open | A | A | Q1 | Q1 | Q1 | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 3R | 0 / 6 | 5–6 | 45% |
| French Open | A | A | Q1 | Q1 | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | F | | 0 / 6 | 9–6 | 60% |
| Wimbledon | A | A | Q2 | Q1 | Q1 | NH | 1R | 1R | 1R | F | | 0 / 4 | 6–4 | 60% |
| US Open | A | A | Q2 | Q2 | Q2 | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 4R | | 0 / 5 | 4–5 | 44% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 0–4 | 1–4 | 18–4 | 2–1 | 0 / 21 | 24–21 | 53% |

#### Doubles

| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L | Win% |
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 0 / 5 | 6-5 | 55% |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | F | | 0 / 5 | 7–5 | 58% |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | 1R | 1R | 3R | | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | 40% |
| US Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 10–4 | 1–1 | 0 / 15 | 15–15 | 50% |

### Grand Slam tournament finals
#### Singles: 2 (runner-ups)

| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 2024 | French Open | Clay | Iga Świątek | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 2024 | Wimbledon | Grass | Barbora Krejčíková | 2–6, 6–2, 4–6 |

#### Doubles: 1 (runner-up)

| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 2024 | French Open | Clay | Sara Errani | Coco Gauff Kateřina Siniaková | 6–7$^{(5–7)}$, 3–6 |

### Olympic finals
#### Doubles: 1 (gold medal)

| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Gold | 2024 | Paris Olympics | Clay | Sara Errani | Mirra Andreeva Diana Shnaider | 2–6, 6–1, [10–7] |

### Awards and honours

Paolini has received the following awards and honours:

#### Professional awards

* WTA Doubles Team of the Year – 2024
* Billie Jean King Cup Heart Award – 2024
* ITF Women's Doubles World Champion – 2024

#### Orders

* CONI Golden Collar of Sports Merit (Collare d'Oro al Merito Sportivo) – 2024

#### Special awards

* Golden Pegasus of Tuscany (Pegaso d'Oro della Regione Toscana) – 2025