"I was like, ‘Come on, you have to do better’" - Jasmine Paolini opens up about how she overcame her nerves to beat Mirra Andreeva in French Open SF

Jasmine Paolini talked about how she overcame her nerves to secure a victory over 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals of the 2024 French Open. Reaching the championship match at Roland Garros marked the Italian's best result at a Grand Slam tournament to date.

Seeded 12th, Paolini defeated Andreeva 6-3, 6-1 in one hour and 13 minutes to secure her spot in the final of the clay court Major. With this win, she became the third Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the French Open final, following in the footsteps of Francesca Schiavone and Sara Errani.

On her way to the championship match, Jasmine Paolini defeated the likes of Daria Saville, Hailey Baptiste, Bianca Andreescu, and Elina Avanesyan in the first four rounds. She then caused a major upset by defeating the fourth seed, Elena Rybakina, in the quarterfinals to advance to the final four.

During the post-match on-court interview, Paolini admitted to feeling nervous before facing Andreeva, especially since she had recently lost to the Russian in the fourth round of the 2024 Madrid Open. She said that despite the pressure, she managed to hype herself up and push through the "tough match" to secure the win.

“Thank you. Thank you very much. Merci Beaucoup! It was a tough match, she’s playing unbelievable. She’s 17 years old and she’s so complete so I was a little bit nervous before the match. I lost against her one month ago so I was like, ‘Come on, you have to do better,’" Paolini said.

Jasmine Paolini also revealed that she was particularly nervous during the first set but managed to relax after winning it 6-3 and ultimately win the match.

"Today I was nervous in the first set but then ball after ball I was getting relaxed. I know it’s tough to be relaxing at this stage but I’m really happy that I managed to win the match in the end,” she added.

Jasmine Paolini will face Iga Swiatek in the final of French Open 2024

Jasmine Paolini will go up against two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the final of the 2024 French Open.

Top seed, Swiatek is aiming to secure her third consecutive French Open title, her fourth overall at Roland Garros, and her fifth Grand Slam title. She kicked off her campaign at Roland Garros by defeating qualifier Leolia Jeanjean, winning 6-1, 6-2 in the first round. The Pole then faced tough competition, defeating Naomi Osaka 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5 and Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2 in the second and third rounds, respectively.

The World No.1 defeated Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0 in the fourth round and fifth seed Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals to secure her spot in the semifinals.

In the final four, Swiatek faced off against third seed Coco Gauff, defeating her 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the final.

Jasmine Paolini and Iga Swiatek have met twice on the WTA Tour, with the Pole emerging victorious both times. Their most recent matchup was in the first round of the 2022 US Open, where Swiatek claimed a 6-3, 6-0 victory.