**Jasmine Paolini Beats Iga Swiatek for the First Time at Wuhan Open**
*By Rajdeep Saha | October 10, 2025, 9:11 PM*
In a stunning upset at the Wuhan Open quarter-finals, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini defeated world number two Iga Swiatek for the very first time. Paolini secured a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory in just 65 minutes, marking their seventh career meeting and ending Swiatek’s six-match winning streak against the Italian.
**Match Highlights and Stats**
Despite Swiatek serving 2 aces compared to none from Paolini, the Italian showcased impressive consistency. Swiatek committed two double faults, while Paolini had just one. Paolini’s first serve win rate stood at 68%, with a 57% success rate on her second serve. Most notably, she converted all six of her break point opportunities, demonstrating clinical finishing.
**Head-to-Head Recap**
Before this defeat, Swiatek had dominated their rivalry, winning six consecutive matches against Paolini. Their recent meetings included Swiatek’s victories in the Cincinnati Open final and the Bad Homburg semifinals in 2025, as well as wins at the 2024 BJK Cup, the 2024 Roland Garros final, the 2022 US Open, and Prague 2018.
**Semifinal Showdown: Paolini to Face Coco Gauff**
Paolini’s impressive win sets up a highly anticipated semi-final clash against third-ranked Coco Gauff. Reflecting on her performance, Paolini said in an on-court interview, “Finally I won a match. I’m super happy about my level. Just feels amazing.”
This victory also boosts Paolini’s chances of securing the last singles qualifying spot for the PIF WTA Finals in Riyadh later this season.
**Record-Breaking Performance**
According to Opta, Paolini is only the second player to defeat Swiatek while conceding three or fewer games in a WTA 1000 event, joining her next opponent Coco Gauff who achieved this feat in Madrid 2025.
At 29 years and 276 days old, Paolini has also become the third-oldest player to reach four or more Tier 1/WTA 1000 semi-finals in a single season since 1990. Only Serena Williams (2013-15) and Li Na (2012) have reached this milestone at an older age.
Jasmine Paolini’s breakthrough win over Iga Swiatek signals a thrilling semifinal ahead and an exciting path forward in the Wuhan Open.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/sports/paolini-claims-swiatek-scalp-for-1st-time-in-career/story
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