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Iga Swiatek, Matteo Berrettini, and others from the tennis world have congratulated Jasmine Paolini on her maiden WTA 1000 title win at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Paolini squared off against Anna Kalinskaya in the title clash on Saturday, February 24. The Italian staged a dramatic comeback against the Russian to secure the biggest title of her career. She initially struggled to deal with her opponent's quick returns but slowly fought her way back to close down the encounter, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, in two hours and 13 minutes.
Paolini enjoyed a splendid week in Dubai, registering wins over Leylah Fernandez, Beatriz Haddad Maia, Sorana Cirstea, and Maria Sakkari en route to the title. She dropped just two sets throughout the tournament.
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Taking to social media, Swiatek praised Paolini for an amazing week on the tour.
"Congratulations Jasmine! What a week," Swiatek wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Italian men's tennis star Berrettini also expressed delight at his compatriot's achievement.
"Jassssssssss," Berrettini wrote on his Instagram story.
Australian tennis coach Rennae Stubbs recalled her words of praise for Paolini from her former podcast episodes. She maintained that the 28-year-old is one of her favorite players to watch on the tour.
"If anyone has listened to my [podcast] over the years U know how much I have loved Jasmine Paolini's tennis! I have said on many occasions that she's literally one of my favorite players to watch on tour! What an incredible week for both her and Anna! well done ladies! @WTA," Stubbs' tweet read.
Marta Kostyuk, and Jannik Sinner's coach Darren Cahill also congratulated Paolini on social media.
"So happy for you!!!," Kostyuk commented on Instagram.
"Congrats Jasmine! Brilliant performance," Cahill's comment read.
"Have to let it go" - Iga Swiatek on her semifinal exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships
Iga Swiatek endured a semifinal exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships after falling 6-4, 6-4 to qualifier Anna Kalinskaya. With the loss, the Doha champion's seven-match unbeaten streak on the tour came to an end.
During the press conference, Swiatek expressed disgust at her defeat. However, she remained optimistic, wanting to quickly put the loss behind her.
"I'm angry but on the other hand, there aren't many players that actually survive these kinds of tournaments so I just kind of have to let it go and accept it," Iga Swiatek said.
Swiatek said she was satisfied with the preparations heading into the tournament but expressed disbelief at how things transpired on the court.
"I would say the preparation was the best I could do anyway but I wasn’t able to make anything that made sense today on the court," the Pole added.
Iga Swiatek is expected to play next at Indian Wells, which will commence on March 6. The World No. 1 reached the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament last year.
