Jasmine Paolini of Italy ended the magical run of qualifier Anna Kalinskaya at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, topping the Russian 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 to win her second WTA career title.
It was the first WTA 1000-level tournament victory for Paolini and came in two hours, 13 minutes in the United Arab Emirates.
“It’s special to have this trophy in my hands,” Paolini said. “Was such a great tournament. Every player was here. Yeah, was really, really tough draw. I’m just happy.”
Through the week, Kalinskaya eliminated some of the biggest names in women’s tennis, including three top 10 players — Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the third round, Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland in the semifinals.
And Kalinskaya had Paolini where she wanted her, winning the first set and going up a break in both the second and third sets. But Kalinskaya couldn’t close out either one.
“I want to congratulate Jasmine on your first big title,” Kalinskaya said. “You totally deserve it, you fight for every ball — and enjoy the moment.
“Thanks for the crowd for coming. I never played so much tennis in one week but it was a pleasure playing in front of you.”
Kalinskaya, 25, was up 5-4 in the third set and serving for the championship, but Paolini pulled off her sixth break of the day to knot the match. Two games later, she broke Kalinskya’s serve again to win.
“I’m really happy how I managed to come back,” Paolini said. “It’s unbelievable. I don’t know. I’m just so happy.”
On the day, Paolini had nine break opportunities and converted seven of them.
Paolini, who won her first WTA singles title in 2021, had been in three finals since and lost them all. Now, with this win, the 28-year-old is poised to move into the top 15 when the new rankings are released Monday.
–Field Level Media
