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Two unlikely semi-finalists will play the most important match of their lives, although it looks like just the start for teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva.
START DATE/TIME: Thursday 6th June 2024, UK – not before 16:00 / US EST – not before 11:00 / US PST – not before 08:00
VENUE: Roland Garros Stadium, Paris, France
SURFACE: Outdoor clay
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Eurosport / US – NBC, Peacock and Tennis
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ / US – NBC, Peacock and Tennis
TICKETS: Visit this link for the latest Jasmine Paolini vs Mirra Andreeva ticket information
JASMINE PAOLINI – Will break inside the top 10 for the first time
28-year-old Jasmine Paolini set a career-high WTA world ranking of 12th after a shock run to the Dubai Masters title in February, where she was slightly fortunate to avoid a quarter-final clash with Elena Rybakina. The Italian later challenged Rybakina hard at the Stuttgart Open but lost in three sets to the eventual champion, on clay, to make what she achieved on Wednesday all the more incredible.
Paolini started fast and then recovered fabulously to stun Rybakina, who was admittedly out of sorts, for a third three-set victory on the spin at Roland-Garros and reaching her first semi-final at this level will see her become a top 10 player next week, no matter the outcome here.
MIRRA ANDREEVA – Youngest Grand Slam semi-finalist since Martina Hingis in 1997
17-year-old Mirra Andreeva will set a new career-high WTA world ranking of 23rd after overcoming an out-of-sorts Aryna Sabalenka in three sets on Wednesday, coming back from a set down to edge through a choppy but engaging match.
The Russian reached the third round on her debut here last summer and then bettered that with debut last 16s at Wimbledon and this year’s Australian Open to already set out her stall as a serious rising star but becoming the youngest woman to reach a semi-final at this level since Martina Hingis is generational talent.
JASMINE PAOLINI VS MIRRA ANDREEVA PREDICTION
This is a truly wild semi-final match-up considering the form of the top four coming into Roland-Garros but both Jasmine Paolini and Mirra Andreeva have totally earned their chance at glory after battling displays in their campaigns.
The pair met only recently at the Madrid Open in late April, where Andreeva win in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals, but this occasion looks wholly different – particularly on the more typical clay-court conditions that the Italian grew up playing on. Comparing their quarter-finals, Paolini was the higher performer who showed the better resolve in tight moments, but one of Andreeva’s biggest weapons is her ability no to blink, her lack of baggage and clear total belief in herself and her game.
This match will mostly be about who finishes stronger, who handles the occasion better, and in any normal service you could use that metric to back the 28-year-old over a teenager. However, Andreeva is proving to be one of those outliers that go on to dominate their sport. Back the Russian to win at least a set as the likelier of two highly unlikely finalists.
JASMINE PAOLINI VS MIRRA ANDREEVA TIP: MIRRA ANDREEVA TO WIN A ET