"Maybe Aryna Sabalenka will kill me" - Coco Gauff-conqueror Jasmine Paolini makes honest admission ahead of Stuttgart SF
Jasmine Paolini cautiously yet humorously mentioned Aryna Sabalenka as she briefly spoke up about her upcoming semifinal showdown against the World No. 1 at the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Paolini's admission came after her convincing quarterfinal win over Coco Gauff at the WTA 500-level claycourt event.
Paolini and Gauff clashed on Saturday, April 19, at Stuttgart's Porsche Arena for a place in the tournament's last four. The Italian, a two-time Major finalist, was remarkably solid on her serve, hitting 100% on her first serves. However, she won only 55% of the points on her first serve, with the American initially establishing a 4-2 lead in the opening set.
Unfortunately for Coco Gauff, though, serve woes worsened as the match continued. The 2023 US Open champion lost the first set 4-6. She then relinquished a crucial break point in the second set, which she lost 3-6 to send Jasmine Paolini into the semifinals of the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where the Italian will face Aryna Sabalenka.
During her post-match on-court interview, Paolini talked about her improved on-court confidence when it comes to facing the WTA's elite names. She went on to bring up playing Sabalenka in the semis in Stuttgart. The World No. 6 said:
"I think I'm the same person but a maybe a little bit more confident. I believe more in myself. I step on court and I repeat to myself, "I can do it." Before, it was a little bit like, "Oh, I'm playing big names, big players." I saw the mountain, so high, and it was tough to believe I could beat them. Now, I'm really happy about how I'm playing."
"My goal is to fight every match, to be in the match, to have the chances to win, to be there, you know? Because before I was losing 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. I don't want to say that because maybe tomorrow Sabalenka will kill me. Maybe tomorrow it's going to be tough, but I feel better on court, let's say that," she added.
In terms of the pair's head-to-head record on the WTA Tour, the numbers and recent results suggest that the Belarusian is the favorite on paper to win the Stuttgart semi against the Italian.
Aryna Sabalenka leads WTA Tour-level head-to-head against Jasmine Paolini; Italian's last win against Belarusian came back in 2022
Going into her upcoming semifinal clash against Jasmine Paolini in Stuttgart, Aryna Sabalenka has a 4-2 lead in the pair's WTA Tour-level head-to-head.
The Italian and Belarusian's most recent meeting came in the last four of this year's Miami Open. Sabalenka won the match 6-2, 6-2 before going on to eventually win the WTA 1000 title with a victory against Jessica Pegula in the final.
The last time Paolini won a match against Sabalenka was in the Round of 64 at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. On that particular occasion, the Belarusian convincingly won the first set, but the Italian stormed back and ultimately registered a comeback victory.