Jasmine Paolini bursts into tears during Dubai match as defending champion crashes out

By celebrityinfo.online On Feb 19, 2025

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Jasmine Paolini in Tears as Injury Ends Dubai Title Defense

Jasmine Paolini’s Dubai Tennis Championships campaign ended in heartbreak as she crashed out in the last 16 following an injury. The defending champion fell early in the second set, taking a medical timeout before succumbing to a 6-4, 6-0 defeat against Sofia Kenin.

Painful Exit for the Reigning Champion

Paolini, who won her biggest career title in Dubai last year by defeating Anna Kalinskaya, had been hoping for a deep run. She looked strong in her opening match, overcoming Eva Lys 6-2, 7-5 despite a four-hour rain delay that interrupted her match point. However, her title defense took a devastating turn on Wednesday.

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The No. 4 seed faced a tough opponent in former Australian Open champion Kenin, who edged the first set 6-4. Early in the second set, Paolini slipped and fell while trailing 0-30 on her serve, immediately bursting into tears.

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Struggling Through Injury

The 29-year-old Italian took a medical timeout, receiving treatment and painkillers for what appeared to be a foot injury. Despite her efforts to continue, she did not win another game, visibly distressed as Kenin dominated the second set in just 23 minutes.

The defeat means Paolini will lose 880 of the 1,000 ranking points she gained from her 2023 title, significantly impacting her world No. 4 ranking.

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Doubles Uncertainty Amid Injury Concern

Paolini is also competing in the doubles draw alongside her regular partner Sara Errani, with whom she recently won the Doha title. However, her participation in their opening match later on Wednesday is now in doubt as she has yet to provide an update on her injury.

Before her defeat, Paolini admitted she was trying to keep expectations low in her title defense.

“I came here without any expectation, just trying to play matches,” she said after her opening win. “Now I can say ‘matches’ because it could have been just one. But I’m happy with how I played today, even if it was a tough match.”

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With her singles run cut short, all eyes are now on whether Paolini will recover in time for doubles or be forced to withdraw from the tournament entirely.

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