Jasmine Paolini defeats Anna Kalinskaya in comeback victory for Dubai title
Jasmine Paolini of Italy gestures during the final match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships against Anna Kalinskaya in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Credit: AP/Kamran Jebreili
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Jasmine Paolini earned the biggest victory of her career by defeating qualifier Anna Kalinskaya 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 to win the Dubai Championships title on Saturday.
The 26th-ranked Paolini fought back from a break down in both the second and third sets en route to her second career WTA singles title and first at the 1000 level.
Paolini, a 28-year-old Italian, avenged her loss to Kalinskaya from a month ago in the Australian Open fourth round, and Saturday’s victory assures her of a top 20 debut when the rankings are updated on Monday.
Kalinskaya had come through qualifying and beat three top-10 players in a row — including No. 1 Iga Swiatek — to reach the final.
The 40th-ranked Kalinskaya, the first qualifier to reach the Dubai final, had beaten No. 9 Jelena Ostapenko, then No. 3 Coco Gauff, then Swiatek. It was Swiatek's first straight-set loss in almost a year.
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