Jasmine Paolini of Italy. Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Incredible rally aids Jasmine Paolini in Wimbledon finals second set

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Jul 13, 2024 11:06 AM ET

Italy's Jasmine Paolini flipped the women's Wimbledon final on its head with a strong second set after losing the first to Barbora Krejcikova.

Arguably, the best point Paolini won was during a nine-shot rally with the world's No. 7-ranked player already up 4-2 in the set.

The determination from Jasmine Paolini #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/s7abFvATgp
— ESPN (@espn) July 13, 2024

Paolini extended for an incredible save to keep the point going and won it with a massive forehand.

Krejcikova, ranked No. 32 on the WTA Tour, came out firing with a 6-2 first-set win. Per Wimbledon's IBM Slamtracker, Krejcikova was the early aggressor, with a 29 percent attack rate to Paolini's 18 percent.

She was masterful on her first serve, winning 16-of-19 first-serve points (84 percent). She also held the advantage on returns, winning 16-of-31 receiving points (52 percent).

Paolini altered the script in the second, holding Krejcikova to only 8-of-15 on her first-serve points (53 percent) and 8-of-26 on receiving points (31 percent).

Ultimately, Krejcikova recorded her second grand slam title, winning the third set to win the match 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

They met one time previously, in a qualifier for the 2018 Australian Open.

The stakes were much higher for this match, but the moment wasn't too big for either Krejcikova or Paolini.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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