Jasmine Paolini made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Italian woman in over a decade to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open, defeating Russia’s Diana Shnaider 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2 in a thrilling three-set comeback. The world number five displayed incredible grit and resilience, especially after blowing a 4-0 lead in the first set and then rallying from a set and a break down to seize victory with the home crowd behind her.
Her opponent, world number 11 Shnaider, took control in the tiebreak after a remarkable turnaround in the first set, but Paolini responded in kind with six consecutive games in the second to even the match. Despite trailing again in the decider, the French Open runner-up dug deep to storm into the final four — the first Italian woman to do so in Rome since her doubles partner Sara Errani in 2014.
Paolini will face American Peyton Stearns for a place in the final, after Stearns edged out Elina Svitolina in a hard-fought 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(4) quarter-final.
On the men’s side, Italian tennis continued to shine. World number one Jannik Sinner extended his extraordinary winning streak to 24 matches with a 7-6(2), 6-3 win over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. The 23-year-old has now reached at least the quarter-finals in every tournament he’s played in 2024.
Fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti joined Sinner in the last eight after a commanding 7-5, 6-4 win over Daniil Medvedev. The eighth seed will now face defending champion Alexander Zverev, who dispatched France’s Arthur Fils 7-6(3), 6-1.
Elsewhere, third seed Carlos Alcaraz battled past a gritty Karen Khachanov 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to secure his first-ever quarter-final appearance in Rome. After taking the first set with a late burst, Alcaraz struggled in the second and saw a 4-1 lead slip away in the third. But the Spaniard found his composure just in time, breaking Khachanov in the final game to clinch victory in a two-hour, 29-minute contest.
“Physically I struggled a bit,” Alcaraz admitted after the match. “Not pain exactly, but I was just tired. I had to run a lot, so I’m really proud of the way I fought for every ball.”
Alcaraz will face Britain’s world number five Jack Draper in the quarter-finals. Draper staged a comeback of his own to defeat Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, continuing an impressive tournament run.
With Italian players making deep runs and global stars rising to the occasion, the Italian Open is setting up for an electrifying conclusion.
