Jasmine Paolini, the seventh seed, secured her spot in the Wimbledon finals by defeating Donna Vekic in the longest semifinal in the tournament's history. Paolini's victory over Vekic with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 7-6[8] lasted for two hours and 51 minutes, making her the first Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the competition's finals.
In the previous longest Wimbledon semifinal in 2009, Serena Williams triumphed over Elena Dementieva with a score of 6-7(4), 7-5, 8-6. Paolini, who was the runner-up at Roland Garros last month, has now reached her second major final. She joins an elite group of players, including Serena Williams, Stefanie Graf, Venus Williams, and Justine Henin, as the fifth player in the past 25 years to reach the title matches of both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season.
During the match, Paolini had two match points at 5-4 and 6-5 in the third set before eventually winning in a thrilling tie-break. Despite facing 42 winners from Vekic, Paolini emerged victorious, securing her third win in four matches against the Croatian player.
Paolini had never won a grass match at tour-level before 2024, but now boasts a record of eight wins and one loss on the surface. The loss came against Daria Kasatkina in the Eastbourne semifinals just two weeks ago. By advancing to the finals, she is set to make her top five debut in the WTA Rankings next week.
Following the match, Paolini acknowledged the tough challenge posed by the Croatian player.
"She played incredibly well, hitting winners all over the court. I struggled initially but reminded myself to fight for every point and make improvements on the court, especially with my serving," she stated as reported by the WTA website.
"This match will always hold a special place in my memory," Paolini declared.
