Jasmine Paolini looked a shadow of herself in Montreal. The Italian crashed out on her debut at the WTA 1000 event, collapsing in three sets under the weight of her own mistakes. An astonishing 67 unforced errors – 32 of them in the second set alone – turned the match into a nightmare. She squandered a match point and ultimately fell 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 to Japan’s Aoi Ito, ranked 110 in the world, who celebrated the biggest win of her fledgling professional career by booking a place in the third round.
The defeat underlined Paolini’s fragile state of mind and fitness, something she had already admitted after her early exit at Wimbledon. The sheer volume and severity of her mistakes were alarming. Leading 5-4 in the second set, the Italian even held a match point but couldn’t convert. A long break between the second and third sets to regain her composure did nothing to change the tide.
So far, Paolini’s season has been defined by one glorious stretch: her Rome double triumph, where she won the singles title – beating Coco Gauff in the final – and lifted the doubles trophy alongside Sara Errani, with whom she also became a Grand Slam champion in Paris. Errani was, as always, in her player’s box in Montreal, trying to fire Paolini up as the match slipped away.
Paolini shines in Rome: mental fortitude and smart strategy send her to the final
15 May - 18:05 •
1' min
But at the moment, Paolini’s confidence tank appears to be running dangerously close to empty.
