WTA Rome Semifinal Prediction: Jasmine Paolini vs Peyton Stearns

Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini and Peyton Stearns reached the WTA Rome semifinal after dramatic quarterfinal matches. Paolini will undoubtedly have a raucous home crowd behind her in Italy. However, Stearns has already beaten some of the most notable names in women’s tennis at the tournament. We here at LWOT predict the fascinating matchup in this article, but which player do you expect to reach the final?

WTA Rome Semifinal Prediction

Jasmine Paolini vs Peyton Stearns

Head-to-head: First meeting

Stearns’ run to the semifinal has been remarkable. After starting with comfortable victories against Nuria Branaccio and Anna Kalinskaya, she overcame this year’s Australian Open champion, Madison Keys, in a deciding set tiebreak. The level was even better in the following round when Stearns beat Naomi Osaka in a third-set tiebreak once again. Incredibly, Stearns repeated the feat for a third consecutive time by defeating Elina Svitolina 6-2 4-6 7-6.

Paolini beat Lulu Sun, Ons Jabeur, and Jelena Ostapenko before an extraordinary comeback against Diana Shnaider. She trailed 6-7 0-4 and could not handle Shnaider’s power from the baseline. A rain delay at that score changed the entire momentum of the match, and Paolini left the home fans on Centre Court in hysterics by winning 6-7 6-4 6-2.

Stearns must be relieved to have a day off between matches after her previous heroic efforts. The American needs to be aggressive and dominate the rallies with her forehand in this matchup. She has done that in most of her contests, but probably cannot afford any lapses, especially if she is feeling any mental and physical fatigue after the lengthy previous battles.

So far, all of Paolini’s matches in Rome have been during the day. If that is the case again, Stearns will probably have a better chance since it’ll make the conditions faster and bouncier. That helps Stearns’ heavy topspin forehand, which she could try to get uncomfortably high on the short Paolini. Paolini’s second serve is another area Stearns can try to exploit, as she did in the opening set and half against Svitolina.

While Stearns’ playing style could cause Paolini problems and she undoubtedly has a chance, the two-time Grand Slam runner-up is narrowly favored to win. Her greater experience in these situations and greater ability to pull balls back into play might prove the difference. But Stearns managing another memorable win would not be a significant surprise.
Prediction: Paolini in 3