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Donna Vekic vs Jasmine Paolini: Wimbledon – Semifinal
Two players born in 1996 will face each other for a chance to reach the final at Wimbledon.
Donna Vekic Profile
Donna Vekic is 37th in the WTA rankings, and her career high was No. 19. The Croatian is 22-14 for the season and 10-3 on grass.
Vekic is coming off a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win over Lulu Sun in the quarterfinal. In the previous rounds, Vekic defeated Paola Badosa, Dayana Yastremska, Erika Andreeva, and Xiyu Wang.
Coming into Wimbledon, Vekic made it to the final at Bad Homburg, where she lost to Diana Shnaider in three sets.
This is the first time in her career to reach a semifinal at any Grand Slam.
Jasmine Paolini Profile
Jasmine Paolini has the highest ranking in her career, being seventh in the world. The Italian is 29-12 for the season and 7-1 on grass.
Paolini is coming off a 6-2, 6-1 win over Emma Navarro in the quarterfinal. Previously in the tournament, she defeated Madison Keys, Bianca Andreescu, Greetje Minnen, and Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Recently, Paolini made it to the final at the French Open, where she lost to Iga Swiatek. Earlier in the season, she won the title in Dubai.
This is the seventh appearance for Paolini at Wimbledon and the first time she has won a match in the main draw.
Head-to-Head Paolini leads 2-1
- Paolini vs Vekic 7-6, 6-2 (2023 WTA Montreal, first round)
- Vekic vs Paolini 6-2, 6-0 (2021 WTA Courmayeur, semifinal)
- Paolini vs Vekic 7-6, 6-2 (2021 WTA Cincinnati, qualifying round)
Prediction and Conclusion
No one really saw either of these players going all the way to the semifinal. Paolini stunned everybody by reaching the final in Paris, and she deserves all the respect for another deep run after never winning a main draw match at this tournament. Vekic has been on tour for a long time, and for the first time, she reached the quarterfinal, and here she is playing for a spot in the final. This is an epic chance for both players. Paolini is a slight favorite, and given the fact that she played three sets in all but one match, we expect this one to go over 2.5 sets in total as well.
