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Jasmine Paolini made a confident start to her WTA 1000 Doha campaign, securing a straight-set victory over Caroline Garcia. The Italian, ranked No. 4 in the world and in the tournament draw, controlled the match against the French player, winning 6-3 6-4 in just over an hour. Despite hitting fewer winners than Garcia (12 to 18), Paolini's consistency and lower unforced errors (15 to 32) proved decisive in sealing the win.
The tournament has already seen major upsets. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was stunned by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in a three-set battle (3-6 6-3 7-6). Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Coco Gauff also suffered an early exit, falling to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-2 7-5.
Paolini will now face Jelena Ostapenko in the Round of 16. The Latvian, ranked No. 37, edged past Liudmila Samsonova in a tight match (7-6 7-5). Their head-to-head record is tied at 1-1, with Paolini winning a lower-tier ITF event in 2014, while Ostapenko took their most recent encounter at the 2023 US Open.
On the ATP side, Luca Nardi’s run in the Marseille Open was cut short. The Italian, ranked No. 83, was outclassed by Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, losing 6-2 6-2. Meanwhile, Lorenzo Sonego has advanced to the quarterfinals, where he will take on Ugo Humbert. The Frenchman, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, defeated Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik 7-6 6-4 to set up the clash.
