Jasmine Paolini owns one of the most unusual emotional engines in the top 10. When points turn cruel — and this is the most brutal sport on the planet — she often laughs to herself, not in denial but in defiance. When things swing her way, she doesn’t calm down. She lights up. She hops, smiles, feeds off it, and somehow plays better. It’s an emotional elasticity most elite players spend careers trying to manufacture, and one that opponents like Coco Gauff or Iga Swiatek know all too well by now.
Paolini entered 2025 as world No. 4, carrying expectation instead of chasing it, and finished the season at No. 8. The ranking slip doesn’t tell the full story. What followed was a year that confirmed her identity at the top level — not flawless, not dominant, but unmistakably hers.
Australia: Control First, Then the Ceiling Appears
Paolini opened the year efficiently in Melbourne. She dismissed Sijia Wei (6-0, 6-4) and Renata Zarazua (6-2, 6-3) with first-serve accuracy above 66% and zero panic moments.
The test arrived quickly. Elina Svitolina dragged her into depth and took her legs in the third round (2-6, 6-4, 6-0). Paolini’s first-serve points won fell to 56.6%, and once the rallies stretched, the match tilted hard.
Middle East Swing: Promise Checked by Power
Doha brought a clean win over Caroline Garcia (6-3, 6-4), backed by solid second-serve returns. Then Jelena Ostapenko removed the disguise. The 6-2, 6-2 loss exposed how quickly Paolini can be rushed when the ball comes early and flat.
Dubai followed the same pattern. She beat Eva Lys, then stalled badly against Sofia Kenin (6-4, 6-0). The second-serve points won dropped to 21.1%, and the reset never came.
Indian Wells and Miami: Grit With Limits
Indian Wells asked questions every round. Paolini survived Iva Jovic and Jaqueline Cristian in three sets, saving eight of thirteen break points combined. The run ended against Liudmila Samsonova (6-0, 6-4), where Paolini won just 42.5% of first-serve points.
Miami was sharper. She beat Rebecca Sramkova, benefitted from Ons Jabeur’s retirement, then produced one of her best hard-court wins of the year against Naomi Osaka (3-6, 6-4, 6-4). Paolini saved 12 of 15 break points and refused to blink.
The semifinal was reality. Aryna Sabalenka overwhelmed her (6-2, 6-2), forcing short points and limiting Paolini’s second serve to 33.3% won.
Paolini Looked Like Herself Again On Clay
Stuttgart reset everything. Paolini beat two German athletes Eva Lys and Jule Niemeier, then delivered a controlled, high-quality win over Coco Gauff (6-4, 6-3). She absorbed pace, redirected calmly, and stayed clean on break points.
Sabalenka stopped her again in the semifinal, but the margins narrowed. Paolini landed 75.8% of first serves and stayed competitive throughout.
Rome was the payoff — the week everything clicked and the biggest trophy of her career followed.
- R64: def. Lulu Sun 6-4, 6-3 — steady from the baseline, no early drama
- R32: def. Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-3 — absorbed variety, controlled tempo throughout
- R16: def. Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 6-2 — weathered the storm, then broke her rhythm
- QF: def. Diana Shnaider 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 — three-set grind, legs and nerve held
- SF: def. Peyton Stearns 7-5, 6-1 — pressure applied early, match never escaped
- Final: def. Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 — her most complete clay performance of the year
First-serve placement carried the final. Errors stayed low. Every deciding set followed the same script, with Paolini breaking at least twice each time. The title felt earned, not borrowed. She radiated confidence in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
Born in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, a small town in Tuscany, the small Jasmine Paolini had conquered Rome.
Roland Garros: One Match That Slipped Away
Paris started smoothly. Paolini beat Yue Yuan, Ajla Tomljanovic, and Yuliia Starodubtseva with steady serving and disciplined return depth.
The fourth round turned. Svitolina edged her in a three-set grinder (4-6, 7-6(6), 6-1). Paolini won only 41.7% of second-serve points and could not halt the momentum once the match tipped.
Grass: Competent, Not Convincing
Berlin was brief and blunt. Ons Jabeur overpowered her (6-1, 6-3). Paolini struggled to impose patterns.
Bad Homburg offered improvement. She beat Leylah Fernandez and Beatriz Haddad Maia in tight sets, showing better first-strike intent. Iga Swiatek shut the door in the semifinal (6-1, 6-3).
Wimbledon ended early. Paolini escaped Anastasija Sevastova, then lost to Kamilla Rakhimova in three sets (4-6, 6-4, 6-4). The break-point numbers told the story. She arrived in London as world No. 5 and left as No. 9. It was a massive disappointment.
North America: A Strong Push, Then the Wall
Montreal stung. Aoi Ito outlasted her in a third-set tiebreak after Paolini failed to protect leads.
Then, out of the blue, came Cincinnati — her sharpest hard-court week of the summer.
- R64: def. Maria Sakkari 7-6, 7-6 — patience held in the tiebreaks
- R32: def. Ashlyn Krueger 7-6, 6-1 — control established once the door opened
- R16: def. Barbora Krejcikova 6-1, 6-2 — match dominance from first ball
- QF: def. Coco Gauff 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 — resilience from a set down
- SF: def. Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 — nerve held late
The final told the limit. Iga Swiatek won 7-5, 6-4. Paolini created chances but converted none. She finished the match with zero break points won, and that detail decided everything.
The US Open followed the pattern. She beat Destanee Aiava and Iva Jovic, then faded against Marketa Vondrousova (7-6, 6-1) once the points lengthened.
Autumn: Respectable, But Heavy
Paolini carried Italy through the BJK Cup, beating Pegula, Wang, and Svitolina. The tennis was clean and calm.
Beijing brought wins over Kenin and Bouzkova, then a tough loss to Amanda Anisimova in the quarters. Wuhan included a statement win over Swiatek (6-1, 6-2), followed by a physical let-down against Gauff.
Ningbo ended with a solid run before Elena Rybakina overpowered her 6-3 6-2.
The Riyadh Finals were unforgiving. Losses to Gauff, Sabalenka, and Pegula underlined the same issue. Paolini’s second serve struggled badly against elite pace.
Jasmine Paolini Assessment
Paolini’s biggest improvement was consistency of intent. She competed properly every week. The Rome title, the Cincinnati final, and wins over Gauff and Swiatek proved her ceiling is real.
What still limits her is point control against top-three power. Matches like the Miami semifinal against Sabalenka and the Riyadh losses showed how quickly she can be pinned behind the baseline when the serve drops.
She also struggles to stop momentum once it turns. The losses to Svitolina in Paris and Vondrousova in New York followed the same pattern.
Final Verdict B+
Paolini’s 2025 confirmed her as a genuine top-10 player, not a temporary tenant. She won a major clay title, reached big finals, and beat the best on multiple surfaces.
GPA: 3.3
To move higher, she needs easier service holds under pressure and earlier aggression on return days that drift. Without that, the ceiling stays fixed.
If she is still hovering around the top 10 next season, this 2025 assessment may end up looking too harsh. Both 2024 and 2025 were supposed to be the seasons that exposed limits — and both quietly proved how unreliable those predictions can be.
Related WTA Articles You Might Enjoy
Kostyuk’s Raw, Relentless 2025 — A Season That Hit Harder Than the Ranking Shows
Zheng’s 2025: The Year Her Game Looked Top-5 and Her Body Didn’t