Paolini into Italian Open semi-finals after 'rollercoaster' win

Sixth seed Paolini beat Shnaider 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-2 in a match interrupted by rain in Rome, as she became the fifth Italian woman to reach the last four at the tournament.

Last year's French Open runner-up surged into a 4-0 lead in the first set but lost the next five games as Shnaider forced a tie-break, which she then dominated.

The script was flipped in the second set as Shnaider reeled off four consecutive games either side of a rain delay, but Paolini mounted a stunning fightback of her own by winning the next six games.

Shnaider broke immediately in the decider, but Paolini hit back with a break of her own in a four-deuce game, and that was the first of three straight breaks for the home favourite as she sealed a hard-earned win in two hours and 25 minutes.

"It was really tough match,” Paolini told reporters after her victory. "I'm really happy that I got through. But it was a rollercoaster.

"Point by point, point after point, I found a way – I fought until the end. The crowd, of course, helped me. So I'm really happy with the win."

1 - Jasmine Paolini is the oldest Italian player in the Open Era to reach the semi-finals at the Internazionali d’Italia men included. Science.#IBI25 | @InteBNLdItalia @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/QooD7nx1Hn

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) May 13, 2025

Paolini followed in the footsteps of Laura Garrone (1985 and 1986), Raffaella Reggi (1985), Caterina Nozzoli (1985) and Sara Errani (2013 and 2014) by reaching the Italian Open semi-finals on home soil.