Ciak in Miami, Paolini and Berrettini are on the set

by Massimo SelleriWet pitch, lucky pitch. In Miami the sun plays hide and seek with the rain and so the match between Jasmin Paolini and the Polish Magda Linette starts four hours late. In the end it is the Tuscan who wins with a clear 6-3 6-2 and gets her ticket to the semifinal where he will meet the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, number one in the world in the WTA ranking.

"Sabalenka is obviously a great player - explains Paolini -, but we are in the semifinals and you can't expect anything different. We'll see how it goes, I certainly feel lucky to be able to be part of matches like this. I hope to play well and above all to have fun, because for me this counts a lot, it affects my performance".

The almanac says that the 1000-year-old tennis player is the first Italian to reach the semi-finals in the WTA XNUMX tournament in Miami. In addition to her technical prowess, Jasmine's ability to immediately empathize with the public is also evident. This is also happening in Florida, where she has also managed to win the sympathy of American fans. "During the wait, I tried to ease the tension. What should the American fans say in the semi-finals to cheer me on? Shout "Go Jasmine".

Reaching the final would confirm what the tennis blue both high level beyond Sinner. "Jannik has helped a lot not only me - concludes Paolini -, but all of us. We have the number 1, which is incredible for Italy. Tennis is growing a lot, we believe more and more that we can achieve great results because we see other players who achieve them".

The semifinal is played today and the previous matches, all very tight, speak of a substantial balance between the two with the Belarusian leading 3-2. Still remaining in the field of statistics, the athlete from Bagni di Lucca was not among the best four of a tournament from Wimbledon 2024, even if there was no lack of satisfaction linked to the Olympic gold and the tournaments won in doubles with Sara Errani and the Bjk Cup with Italy.

Meanwhile, Alexandra Eala also got her pass to the semi-final by stopping Iga Swiatek.

Also back on the field today in Miami Matteo Berrettini who will face Taylor Fritz, world number four in the ATP ranking, in the quarterfinals. The Roman defeated Alex de Minaur in the round of 6 with a score of 3-7 6-2021, giving the impression of having returned to "The Hammer" mode. After all, this is the first time he has reached the quarterfinals in Miami and more generally, he has not reached this milestone in an ATP 1000 tournament since XNUMX. "The way I won this eighth means a lot to me - explained Berrettini at the end of the match -. I won the second set, then lost, then won again. Alex defends like I have never seen anyone do, I thought about pushing myself to the limit and fighting on every point. I kept telling myself that even losing by doing the right things is better than just losing".

Lorenzo Musetti's run ends in the round of 6 after being eliminated in two sets, 2-6 2-XNUMX, by the best Novak Djokovic seen this season.