Paolini Reaches Italian Open Final, Paul Advances Semifinals Rome

Jasmine Paolini has become the third Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the Italian Open final, defeating American Peyton Stearns 7-5, 6-1. Paolini, ranked fifth in the world, saved three set points and overcame a slow start with strong crowd support, aiming to become the first Italian home champion since 1985. In the final, she will face either Coco Gauff or Zheng Qinwen, who played later. On the men's side, American Tommy Paul advanced to the semifinals after beating Hubert Hurkacz and is set to face either Jannik Sinner or Casper Ruud; Sinner is returning from a doping ban and has yet to drop a set on clay. If Sinner reaches the semifinals, it would mark the first time two Italians have reached a Masters 1000 semifinal simultaneously, with Lorenzo Musetti also progressing. The Italian Open serves as the last major clay-court warmup before the French Open, highlighting Italy’s tennis resurgence with multiple players advancing deep in the tournament.