Editor’s note: Starting Monday, Oct. 20, we’re publishing Road to the WTA Finals, an eight-part snapshot of the qualifiers and the form they bring to Riyadh. Check back all week for new installments.
More from the WTA Finals
After cementing her status as a Top 10 player in 2024, Jasmine Paolini came into 2025 with lofty expectations.
Would she win her first Grand Slam after two near misses in Paris and London last year?
Paolini would end up winning a major — the French Open doubles title, with Italian countrywoman Sara Errani — but couldn’t replicate her singles success, never advancing past the fourth round at a Slam.
The World No. 8 did, however, deliver another consistent campaign worthy of a Top 10 player, reaching the semifinals in Miami, the final in Cincinnati and, most recently, the semis in Wuhan.
Her season highlight came in Rome, where she defeated Coco Gauff in the final to win her second career WTA 1000 title and become the first Italian woman to win the country’s premier tournament in 40 years.
The 29-year-old won more matches this year than she did last year, and posted a higher winning percentage — all while grinding through another grueling doubles schedule, one that yielded four more titles and propelled her to No. 3 in the world.
Speaking of doubles, Paolini is also in the WTA Finals doubles field (alongside Errani), punching her tickets in both fields for the second straight year.
We’ll be seeing plenty of Paolini in Riyadh, which is always a good thing.
Paolini’s 2025 Season By the Numbers
2025 Record: 43-18 (32-10 in doubles)
2025 Titles: Rome (1000), Doha (1000, in doubles), Rome (1000, in doubles), French Open (Grand Slam, in doubles), Beijing (1000, in doubles)
Previous WTA Finals Appearances: 2024 (lost in group stage in singles and doubles)
Best WTA Finals Result: Paolini couldn’t get out of the group stage in either singles or doubles last year, winning just two of her six matches. Her lone singles victory — a 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Elena Rybakina — was sandwiched between straight-set losses to Zheng Qinwen and Aryna Sabalenka.
Jimmie48/WTA
Defining Moment of 2025: The win in Rome was an especially memorable one, both for Paolini and for a tennis-loving nation that hadn’t seen a female champion at this tournament in four decades. Paolini dropped just one set all tournament and, in front of Italian president Sergio Mattarella, handled Gauff with relative ease in just 89 minutes. Though she’d won a WTA 1000 title once before, in Dubai, this must be the biggest of her career to date.
Notable Stat: In addition to becoming the first Italian singles champion in Rome since Raffaella Reggi in 1985, Paolini became the first player to win both the singles and doubles titles at this tournament since Monica Seles in 1990.
Defining Quote of 2025: “It doesn’t seem real to me. I came here as a kid to see this tournament but winning it and holding up this trophy wasn’t even in my dreams.” — Paolini after winning the Internazionali BNL d’Italia
What This Title Would Mean (+ What to Watch for in Riyadh)
Brad Kallet: Paolini is one of the most likable players on tour. Always smiling. Always laughing. Always seeming to enjoy the moment. But make no mistake about it: She’s ferocious and, when locked in, can dominate anyone. We saw that most recently in Wuhan, in her quarterfinal match against Iga Swiatek. Coming into the match 0-6 against the six-time Grand Slam champion, Paolini looked unstoppable, dropping just three games in 65 minutes. She can play big and win big … and she’ll need to rise to that level again in Riyadh.
Greg Garber: Great point, Brad. Paolini proved against Swiatek that even at this relatively late stage in her career, she’s developing a big-game presence. Look how far she’s come in the past month in China. On the WTA Finals bubble, she reached the quarterfinals in Beijing and the semifinals in Wuhan and Ningbo. By winning eight of 11 matches, she’s going back to Riyadh. A year ago, as the No. 4 seed, Paolini lost round-robin matches to Zheng and Sabalenka. She’ll be keen to take the next step.