Jasmine Paolini had a “crazy” story to tell following her Dubai victory as the Italian revealed to Anna Kalinskaya that her coach predicted they would meet in the final.
On Saturday, Paolini, 28, and 25-year-old Kalinskaya played their first WTA 1000 final as the Italian came back to beat the Russian 4-6 7-5 7-5 for the biggest title of her career.
Jasmine Paolini© Getty Images Sport – Francois Nel
After Paolini and Kalinskaya reached the Dubai quarterfinal, the Italian met the Russian’s coach Patricia Tarabini, who then predicted that the two would meet in the final. Initially, Paolini thought of it as “a crazy prediction” but the Italian then made the final after Elena Rybakina’s quarterfinal withdrawal and her win over Sorana Cirstea. On the other side, Kalinskaya made the Dubai final in style, beating Coco Gauff in the quarterfinal and Iga Swiatek in the semifinal, respectively.
Paolini to Kalinskaya: Your coach predicted this, I was like ‘Are you crazy?’
“Congrats to Anna. You played an unbelievable week from qualifying. You’re doing an amazing job with Patricia. One of the nicest coaches on tour, I have to say,” Paolini told Kalinskaya during the on-court trophy presentation.
“I’ll tell you something. Before the quarterfinals, I met Patricia and she told me we are gonna meet in the final. I was like ‘Are you crazy?’ And we meet in the final. Unbelievable.”
Jasmine Paolini and Anna Kalinskaya© Getty Images Sport – Francois Nel
Paolini, who turned 28 in January, now has two WTA titles in her collection. Previously, Paolini became a WTA champion after winning Hamburg in 2021.
“It’s special to have this trophy in my hands. Was such a great tournament. Every player was here. Yeah, was really, really tough draw. I’m just happy,” Paolini said.
Paolini, who entered Dubai ranked at No. 26 in the world, is also set for a new career-high ranking. On Monday, Paolini will officially break into the top-15 for the first time in her career and reach a new career-high ranking of No. 14 in the world.
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