Jasmine Paolini Secures First Olympic Singles Victory with Win Over Ana Bogdan

Jasmine Paolini achieves her first Olympic victory in singles in her career: the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist defeats world No. 96, the Romanian Ana Bogdan, with a score of 7-5 6-3. Jasmine, who will compete with Sara Errani in the women’s doubles tournament tomorrow, is waiting for the winner of Linette-Andreeva (the former has just won the tournament in Prague, the latter in Iasi).

In the first direct clash between the two tennis players, Bogdan starts with a turbo boost, leading 4-1 with serve, holding a two break advantage. Jasmine feels the excitement and the weight of expectations: she is No. 4 in the Olympic draw, and after Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal, Italian hopes are focused mainly on her journey in Paris. Renzo Furlan’s pupil increases her focus and insists on the cross-court backhand, finding narrow angles that trouble her opponent. In the blink of an eye, it’s 4-4, and at 5-5 she fails to capitalize on a set point, sending a backhand volley into the net. Not a problem, because a few minutes later she manages to close the more complicated first set than expected at 7-5. The match is now downhill, and a break in the fourth game is the final nail for Bogdan. Good job for Jas, who now sets her sights on the debut in doubles with Sarita Errani.