WATCH: Concerning scenes as Jasmine Paolini breaks down in tears after injuring herself against Sofia Kenin at Dubai Tennis Championships

Defending champion Jasmine Paolini suffered a concerning ankle injury during her third-round match against Sofia Kenin at the ongoing Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The injury made the Italian tear up, and even though she completed the match, it became clear quite quickly following her return to court that she was in no position to compete against the American.

Kenin established a 6-4 lead against Paolini during the pair's clash in Dubai on Wednesday, February 19. With the American leading 30-0 in the first game of the second set, the Italian pulled her right ankle attempting to chase a ball and took a tumble, leaving her writhing in pain as she couldn't contain her tears.

Watch the concerning moment unfold below:

A lengthy break in proceedings followed, with Jasmine Paolini later returning to finish the match. However, the injured WTA No. 4 was no match for 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, who won the second set 6-0 to wrap up the contest. The two-time Major finalist was in tears after play resumed as well, indicating a potentially serious injury that could keep her on the sidelines for some time to come.

Paolini was set to take to the court later in the day for women's doubles action alongside compatriot Sara Errani. However, the singles No. 4 withdrew from the match due to the injury.

Since the start of the 2025 season, Paolini has failed to live up to the high standards that she set last year.

Before Dubai injury nightmare, Jasmine Paolini suffered surprisingly early exits from both Australian Open and Qatar Open

Jasmine Paolini at the 2025 Qatar TotalEnergies Open (Source: Getty)

Jasmine Paolini's consistency in 2024 helped her to two back-to-back singles Major finals at the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships. Even though she lost both matches, the former to Iga Swiatek and the latter to Barbora Krejcikova, she earned plaudits for her dynamic and aggressive game. The 29-year-old also won Olympic doubles gold and qualified for the year-end WTA Finals in 2024.

However, in the two tournaments she played prior to her Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, she failed to reproduce the form that made her a feared force on the WTA Tour last year. At the Australian Open, she fell to Elina Svitolina in the third round despite taking a set lead over the Ukrainian.

At the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, her singles campaign ended with a shock third-round loss to eventual runner-up Jelena Ostapenko. On this occasion, Paolini was no match for a rampant Ostapenko, who stormed to a 6-2, 6-2 win.