Jasmine Paolini could continue Iga Swiatek's ranking plummet with Rome Open title

Italy’s Jasmine Paoli has increased problems for Poland’s Iga Swiatek for the French Open 2025. The second Grand Slam of the year will begin on May 27, where players from all over the world will participate to showcase their talent and secure the ultimate prize.

In the women’s singles category, Swiatek will be defending her title, which she lifted last year after beating Italy’s Paolini in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-1. It was the last title won by the Warsaw-born star who, since then, has gone through a lean patch, according to her own high standards. Swiatek’s most recent appearance was at the Rome Open, where her journey ended in the third round as she lost to America’s Danielle Collins in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 7-5.

That defeat has already dethroned Swiatek from the number two spot in the WTA rankings, and she is expected to fall as low as fourth in the updated rankings. Things are about to go from bad to worse as the four-time French Open winner is now facing the prospect of becoming a fifth seed at the Roland Garros this year. That is because of her last year’s final opponent, Paolini, who now has a unique opportunity to take revenge on the former world number one for that defeat.

Paolini cemented her spot in the final of the ongoing Rome Open after beating America’s Peyton Stearns in the semifinal in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-1 on Thursday. With that result, Paolini needs just one more win, in the final of the ongoing Rome Open, to push Swiatek down to fifth in the list of seeded players at the Roland Garros. The 29-year-old is now set to face America’s Coco Gauff in the grand finale of the competition. The 21-year-old cemented her spot in the last two after beating China’s Zheng Qinwen in a hard-fought semifinal with a score of 7-6, 4-6, 7-6.