Paolini battles past Yuan to reach French Open second round

Fresh off a historic home title run in Rome, Jasmine Paolini picked up where she left off in Paris, digging deep to overcome a stern first-round test at Roland Garros on Sunday.

Paolini, last year’s French Open runner-up, battled to a 6-1 4-6 6-3 victory over China’s Yuan Yue to seal her spot in the second round.

The number four seed made light work of Yuan initially, racing through a dominant opening set inside just 24 minutes.

But Yuan, ranked number 87 in the world, found her rhythm with increased aggression and broke early in the second set to level the match.

The momentum swung again in the third set, with Yuan surging ahead with a break at 3-2. It looked as though an upset could be on the cards, but Paolini responded with authority, blasting a return winner to draw level at 3-3.

The Italian then rattled off 14 straight points to close out the match and seal her spot in the second round.

“It’s great to be back here,” Paolini said in her on-court interview.

“Last year, playing Roland Garros and the Olympics [both here], it’s a special place. I love this city, this club, this surface as well.

“Hopefully I’m going to play a little bit better the next round, and we’ll see.”

Paolini will have to wait until Monday to find out who her second-round opponent will be, with the Italian taking on the winner of Maya Joint's match against Ajla Tomljanovic.

“I won quite easily the first set, then [Yuan] started to play better,” Paolini added after the match.

“Me a little bit so-and-so, a little bit of emotions and nerves came out… I’m happy I fought until the end. It was tough, 3-2 down and a break, but I did it.”

Paolini has firmly established herself as a contender on slower clay courts, having reached her maiden grand slam final at Roland Garros last year – a run that made her the first Italian woman to reach a major final since Flavia Pennetta’s US Open triumph in 2015.

7 - Jasmine Paolini has equalled her most consecutive wins at WTA level (seven) which she registered previously between Dubai 2024 and Indian Wells 2024 (R32). Streak. #RolandGarros | @rolandgarros @WTA pic.twitter.com/U2JGT2a8Zo
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) May 25, 2025

Data debrief: Paolini hits record seven on clay

With the win over Yuan, Paolini equalled her most consecutive wins at WTA level on clay (seven), which she registered previously between Dubai 2024 and Indian Wells 2024 (R32).

It also marks the longest overall winning run of her career at tour level.

Sunday’s opening-round triumph came on the heels of her historic triumph at the Italian Open last week, where she became the first Italian woman in 40 years to lift the title in Rome.