Paolini beats Gauff to become first home player in 40 years to win the Italian Open

Andrew Dampf · The Associated Press

· Posted: May 17, 2025 1:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Jasmine Paolini took vantage of the crowd's enactment and bushed Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to go the archetypal location subordinate to triumph the Italian Open successful 40 years connected Saturday.

With top-ranked Jannik Sinner to play Carlos Alcaraz successful the men's last connected Sunday, Italy could gain its archetypal expanse of the Rome singles titles.

The past Italian pistillate to triumph the unfastened was Raffaella Reggi successful 1985 successful Taranto. The past section antheral to rise the trophy was Adriano Panatta successful 1976.

When Paolini deed a large service down the T connected her 2nd title constituent and Gauff couldn't get it back, Paolini celebrated with a large grin and raised her arms arsenic she spun astir successful joy.

When it was over, the assemblage chanted "Ole, ole, ole, Jas-mine, Jas-mine," and Paolini responded by shaping her hands into a bosom shape.

Paolini and spouse Sara Errani are besides successful the women's doubles last and volition play Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens for that trophy connected Sunday.

With the country's tennis roar successful afloat force, Italy President Sergio Mattarella attended the woman's last astatine the Foro Italico.

Numerous fans held aloft Italian flags and they perpetually shouted "Vai Jasmine" ("Go Jasmine").

The fifth-ranked Paolini was the runner-up astatine the French Open and Wimbledon and led Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup rubric past year. She and Errani besides won golden successful doubles astatine the Paris Olympics.

Paolini volition determination up to No. 4 successful the rankings connected Monday, which volition amended her presumption successful the gully for the French Open starting adjacent weekend.

Despite her occurrence past year, Paolini precocious made a coaching alteration and replaced Renzo Furlan with Marc Lopez. Errani is besides astir ever with her, too, and acts arsenic an unofficial coach.

Unforced errors adhd up for Gauff

Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion who was ranked No. 3, struggled with unforced errors and treble faults.

Gauff made a whopping 55 unforced errors to Paolini's 20 and deed 7 treble faults to her opponent's none. The last lasted conscionable nether 1 1/2 hours.

It's the 2nd clip successful 2 clay-court tournaments that Gauff has finished runner-up. She mislaid the Madrid Open last 2 weeks agone to Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff was coming disconnected the longest lucifer of her career, a 3 1/2-hour triumph implicit Zheng Qinwen successful the semifinals that ended successful the aboriginal Friday morning.

Paolini besides bushed Gauff astatine a clay-court lawsuit successful Stuttgart, Germany, successful April.

Monica Seles successful 1990 was the past pistillate to expanse Rome's singles and doubles titles successful the aforesaid year.