Donna Vekic burst into tears on the tennis court. © APA/afp / BEN STANSALL

Paolini’s opponent in tears: “I was in so much pain”

Wimbledon gets a first-time winner: After the longest women's semifinal in tournament history and a surprise, Jasmine Paolini will play in the final against Czech Barbora Krejcikova.

July 12, 2024

From: dpa/fop

In a hard-fought and exciting duel lasting 2 hours and 51 minutes, Paolini narrowly defeated a crying Donna Vekic from Croatia 2:6, 6:4, 7:6 (SportNews berichtete). The former French Open winner Krejcikova then unexpectedly won 3:6, 6:3, 6:4 against the Kazakh Jelena Rybakina.

Rybakina, ranked fourth in the world, triumphed in southwest London in 2022 and was considered the favorite after previously convincing performances.
Paolini and Krejcikova will play their first final at the prestigious grass court tournament on Saturday. In doubles, however, Krejcikova is already a two-time Wimbledon winner. "It's unbelievable," said Krejcikova. "It's very difficult to explain what I'm feeling right now. I'm so proud of my game and my fighting spirit."

Barbora Krejcikova is currently at the peak of her career. © ANSA / NEIL HALL

Paolini was the first tennis player since US star Serena Williams in 2016 to make it to the Wimbledon final just a few weeks after the French Open final. The nimble, 1,63 meter tall Paolini fought back again and again after falling behind in the decisive set and already had a match point at 5:4 and 6:5. She kept her nerve in the tiebreak and became the first Italian of the Open era since 1968 to make it to the Wimbledon final.

“The last few months have been crazy” Jasmin Paolini

"I will always remember this match. The last few months have been crazy for me," said Paolini, who had previously been the first Italian Wimbledon semi-finalist, after a "rollercoaster of emotions": "It's a dream."

Paolini's path to the top of the world is impressive. Before this season, she had never made it past the second round of a Grand Slam tournament. In Wimbledon, she had not won a main draw match in three previous attempts.

Tears and pain for Vekic

Vekic, who was considering taking a break from tennis just before the French Open, cried during the match. At the press conference that followed, the 28-year-old had to hold back tears. "I had so much pain in my arm and leg," she said after her first Grand Slam semifinal. "I cried more because I was in so much pain that I didn't know how to carry on playing."