Italy added another plaudit to their incredible 2024 Roland Garros as Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini battled from a set down into the women’s doubles final.
No.11 seeds Errani and Paolini overcame unseeded Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine and Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 in a 2-hour and 1-minute semifinal on Court Simmone Mathieu on Friday.
Paolini continues her breakthrough Slam, moving into her first Grand Slam doubles final as well as her first Grand Slam singles final.
Paolini, who will face World No.1 Iga Swiatek in Saturday’s singles final, is the third player in the last four editions of Roland Garros to make the singles and women’s doubles finals in the same year. Barbora Krejcikova won both titles in 2021; Coco Gauff reached both finals in 2022.
Italy is already represented in three of this weekend’s finals, and could add a fourth. Errani and Paolini’s compatriots Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori are into the men’s doubles final, and Jannik Sinner, the new ATP World No.1, is currently contesting his men’s singles semifinal.
Booking their ticket into the doubles final 🎟️
No.11 seeds Jasmine Paolini and @SaraErrani move past Kostyuk/Ruse, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1!#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/j07OdNcfwL
— wta (@WTA) June 7, 2024
A major doubles final is nothing new for former Doubles World No.1 Errani. The 37-year-old is into her eighth Grand Slam doubles final, and her first since 2014. Errani and Roberta Vinci won five Slams together between 2012 and 2014, including at all four majors.
With this latest result, Errani and Paolini extend their success this season. Last month, they teamed up to win the WTA 1000 Rome doubles title in front of a joyous home crowd.
Friday’s semifinal in Paris was marked by two lengthy games. At 2-1 in the second set, Kostyuk and Ruse won a 19-minute, 13-deuce game, converting their tenth break point of that tussle to get back on serve at 2-2.
The unseeded pair’s joy was short-lived as the Italians rebounded from that grueling game, holding up in rallies better and grinding out the second set.
An 11-minute game opened the third set, and this time it was the Italians who prevailed on their third break point to grab the early lead. Errani and Paolini ran out the set from there, winning 80 percent of points returning their opponents’ first serves in the final set.
More to come…