"I don't care about pizza tonight, it's okay to have this trophy" - Jasmine Paolini jokes after winning maiden WTA 1000 title in Dubai

Newly crowned Dubai Open champion Jasmine Paolini hilariously rejected a pizza offer from a reporter during an interview after clinching her maiden WTA 1000 title.

Paolini secured her second WTA singles title by defeating Russia's Anna Kalinskaya in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships on Saturday (February 24) with scores of 4–6, 7–5, 7–5.

Soon after the match, the official WTA account posted an on-court interview video featuring Paolini on X (formerly Twitter) where the Italian was asked if she was going to treat herself to pizza. Amused by the question, the 28-year-old said the trophy was enough for her .

“I don't know, it's too late, I don't care about pizza tonight. It's okay to have this trophy in my hands, it's enough,” Jasmine Paolini said.

Paolini, who came from 5-3 down in the deciding set, also lauded Kalinskaya and expressed her satisfaction at overcoming a difficult challenge.

"I'm really surprised. I'm really happy. It was a really tough match. She's playing unbelievably. To come back was really tough. I tried to stay positive every point. I'm really proud of myself," she added.

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Jasmine Paolini clinches her first title since 2021 at the 2024 Dubai Open

Jasmine Paolini at the United Cup

Jasmine Paolini secured her first WTA trophy at the 2021 Zavarovalnica Sava Portorož, defeating America's Alison Riske in straight sets in the final.

At the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships, Paolini began her title pursuit by defeating World No. 14 Beatriz Haddad Maia in the first round. In the second round, she knocked out Canada's Leyla Fernandez, securing a spot in the third round where she downed Maria Sakkari in straight sets.

She was set to face the fourth seed Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals, but the Kazakh star withdrew from the tournament due to gastrointestinal illness. As a result, Paolini progressed to the semifinal, where she defeated Sorana Cîrstea to qualify for her first WTA 1000 final. Despite losing the first set, Paolini beat Anna Kalinskaya in the final to lift the title.

The Dubai Tennis Championships isn't the only silverware the 28-year-old has lifted this season, as she partnered with her compatriot Sara Errani to win the Linz Open women's doubles earlier this month. They defeated the duo of Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez in the final.

Paolini, who hadn't gone beyond the first round of the Australian Open in the past, improved her personal record by reaching the fourth round this year, where she was knocked out by Anna Kalinskaya.