Jasmine Paolini is not only in the women’s singles final but also in the doubles final with her partner Sara Errani, and the Italian pair will meet America’s Coco Gauff & Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic in the championship match on Sunday.
The first set, I mean, we didn’t see any balls. They were just passing, and we were there and trying to fight. Then we said, ‘OK, worse than this cannot go’. We managed to come back. It was a really tough match, but we are happy to be in the final. Jasmine Paolini
Errani & Paolini had a battle on their hands in the semi-finals on Friday, the 11th seeds overcoming Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk & Elena-Gabriela Ruse from Romania, 1-6 6-4 6-1, after a 2-hour and 1-minute contest on Court Simmone Mathieu.
No 5 seeds Gauff & Siniakova, who have teamed up for the first time here at Roland Garros, also went down a set before ousting the all-American No 8 seeds, Caroline Dolehide & Desirae Krawczyk, 5-7 6-4 6-2, in an hour and 58 minutes.
Paolini continues her breakthrough Grand Slam, facing World No 1 Iga Swiatek in Saturday’s singles final, and then going for the doubles title on Sunday.
She is the third player in the last 4 editions of Roland Garros to make the singles and women’s doubles finals in the same year, after Czech Barbora Krejcikova won both titles in 2021, and Gauff reaching both finals in 2022.
“It’s unbelievable also to be here to support [Paolini],” said Errani. “To be in her corner is special also for me. We are so good friends… She already made me cry today. Let’s see tomorrow what we can do, and let’s see also Sunday.”
Italy is represented in three of this weekend’s finals, with Errani & Paolini’s compatriots Simone Bolelli & Andrea Vavassori into the men’s doubles final on Saturday, while Jannik Sinner lost in the men’s singles semi-finals but will still become the new ATP World No 1 on Monday.
A major doubles final is nothing new for Errani, a former Doubles World No. 1, as the 37-year-old is into her 9th Grand Slam doubles final, and her first since 2014.
Errani & Roberta Vinci won 5 Grand Slams together between 2012 and 2014, including at all 4 majors.
With this latest result, Errani & Paolini extended their success this season, after teaming up last month to win the WTA 1000 Rome doubles title in front of a joyous home crowd.
Sara Errani is an old hand at Roland Garros and has been supporting her friend Jasmine Paolini in both singles and doubles
Friday’s semi-final in Paris was marked by two lengthy games, when, at 2-1 in the second set, Kostyuk & Ruse won a 19-minute, 13-deuce game, converting their 10th break point of that tussle.
The Italians, though, rebounded from that gruelling game, holding up better in the rallies and grinding out the set to level proceedings.
An 11-minute game opened the decider, and this time it was the Italian pair who prevailed on their 3rd break point, grabbing the early lead.
Errani & Paolini ran out the match from there, winning 80% of points returning first serves in the final set.
“The first set, I mean, we didn’t see any balls,” Paolini laughed. “They were just passing, and we were there and trying to fight.
“Then we said, ‘OK, worse than this cannot go’. We managed to come back. It was a really tough match, but we are happy to be in the final.”
In their first event as a team, former Doubles World No 1s Coco Gauff & Katerina Siniakova have reached the doubles final in Paris
Roland Garros/Instagram
In their first event as a team, former Doubles World No 1s Gauff & Siniakova remained undefeated by winning the day’s second semi-final, taking the reigning US Open singles champion Gauff into her 3rd Grand Slam women’s doubles final where she is seeking her first title, while Siniakova already has 7 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles to her name, including 2 at Roland Garros partnering Krejcikova.
Gauff & Siniakova have been a strong team from the start, winning their first 4 matches in Paris routinely in straight sets, and it looked as if it might be more of the same when they started with an early break and romped to a 5-2 lead on Friday.
Then, problems started when they lost their advantage, as their opponents made it to 5-5, and the even bigger issue was that they lost 2 more games to lose the set.
Big returns, particularly from Dolehide, pulled the 8th seeds back into contention as she and Krawczyk swept 5 games in a row to squeak out the one-set lead.
Gauff & Siniakova had let the opening set slip away, but they came back with a vengeance in the second, taking an early 3-0 lead that they nearly threw away again, before serving for the set at 5-4, when Gauff stared down 0-40 on her delivery.
Nevertheless, she and Siniakova fought back in that game, helped along by strong volleys from the Czech, and they tied the clash at one set apiece.
A Gauff backhand return winner sealed the first break of the third for 3-2, and she saved 2 break points on her serve to consolidate for 4-2, before, at 5-2, a perfect Siniakova lob gave the pair match point, which was converted by a bold diving volley winner from the American.
The doubles finalists will meet on Sunday – L-R: Coco Gauff & Katerina Siniakova, Sara Errani & Jasmine Paolini
Roland Garros/Instagram
Gauff has played doubles consistently on the WTA Tour, but has hinted that she might focus now more fully on singles, but the 20-year-old still has a few goals to achieve in doubles, one of which is at the upcoming Olympics, where she will play alongside long-time partner Jessica Pegula.
Another one is to win a Grand Slam trophy, which has eluded her so far.
“I have doubles and I have a great partner and I feel, like, we have a good shot to win,” she said. “I really want to win a doubles Slam just to, I don’t wanna say, close that chapter, but once I do it, I don’t feel, like, I’ll chase more. Not saying I won’t play doubles, so I’ll focus on that.”
She & Siniakova have played well so far, and have a decent shot at winning the trophy, despite their tricky opponents, Errani & Paolini.
Gauff faced them together with Erin Routliffe in Rome, but wasn’t able to beat the Italians, although she came close, and will want to reverse that result on Sunday.
