Jasmine's adventure ends in the second round, beaten by the Russian Rakhimova with a score of 4-6 6-4 6-4
Jasmine's dream ends on field 3, while evening falls on London. Wimbledon 2025 for Paolini, finalist last year, unexpectedly ends up in the second round against the Russian Kamilla Rakhimova, who after giving up the first set sends her home 4-6 6-4 6-4 in two hours and 18 minutes. The 29-year-old doesn't reach at least the third round for the first time after six slam tournaments, interrupting a series that had established her among the queens of world tennis, which had led her to start this Wimbledon as the number 4 seed on the scoreboard and with many dreams. They remained in the drawer, closed by the world number 80 against whom he had never played before.
The keys—Paolini has never managed to reach her best level, to play her tennis. Also uncertain in the first set, even if won, the only Italian in history ever to reach the Wimbledon final gradually faded away with the growth of Rakhimova, who beat one of the 10 best in the world for the first time in her career at the 7° attempt. Jasmine tried to find herself, to return to the world No. 5, but she was crushed by the weight of 40 unforced errors, by that forehand that didn't come in, by an opponent who entered the field with so many doubts and grew as the match went on, enough to take a resounding victory. At Wimbledon she had never gone beyond the first round, she immediately went out in both Australia and Paris. This time he did a feat. To Jasmine's detriment,who, leaving Camp 3 greeting the audience that still supports her, barely manages to hide the disappointment of a bad defeat, one not from her.
The match— Paolini takes the break in the fourth game to escape 3-1, then allows Rakhimova to steal her serve when she serves for the set at 5-3, but closes the score in the next game. The signs that something is not working, however, are all there, and they materialize in the 7° game of the second set, when Rakhimova takes the serve away from the Italian and then goes to close the set at 6-4. Paolini started very badly in the third set, immediately losing serve, the Russian was solid and no longer weighed down by double faults (9 in the first two sets) while the Italian progressively lost her certainties, especially with the forehand. And Rakhimova finishes it 6-4 in her innings with fourth match point, giving herself the best victory of her career.
The ranking— A defeat that brings important consequences for the ranking. The current world number 4 and finalist in London last year will now lose 1230 points: thus he will drop to eighth place, reaching 3576 points. Paolini, however, will have to look over his shoulder. Among the contenders to take a place in the top ten are Amanda Anisimova (3327 points) and Emma Navarro (3250 points), still running in this Wimbledon And watch out for Elena Rybakina. Finished at the back, the Kazakh, champion in London in 2022, demonstrated that she knows how to play very well on grass: with 2746 points she can return to the top 10.
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