Jasmine Paolini Survives 57 Errors to Beat Jeanjean in Rome
jasmine paolini survived a 2-hour-55-minute test in Rome, beating qualifier Leolia Jeanjean 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the third round. She did it with 54 winners and 57 unforced errors, a messy line that still kept the defending champion in the draw.
Paolini’s Rome opener
Paolini broke Jeanjean three times in the first set and served for it at 5-3, but each time she pushed ahead, Jeanjean broke back immediately. The set slipped away in the tiebreak, 7-4, before Paolini reset and took the next two sets.
The second and third sets swung her way because she won three multi-deuce games and managed to hold through longer stretches. That was the difference after a first set that kept turning back on her.
Jeanjean kept answering
Jeanjean did more than hang around. She made Paolini work for every opening in a match that stretched to nearly three hours and never settled into a clean pattern for the home favorite.
After the match, Paolini said, "I was a little bit nervous," and added, "A lot of up and downs. She played a great match. Was a tough one, but I'm happy I stay there and managed to come back after the tough first set." She also said, "I try to repeat myself, 'Go for the point, go for the shot,'" when describing how she handled the long games.
The numbers fit the picture. Paolini entered Rome with an 11-9 record in 2026 and no wins over Top 40 opponents, so this was a useful step even before the bracket gets harder. She had also taken three losses to players ranked outside the Top 50 this year, which makes a three-set escape against Jeanjean more relevant than a routine second-round result.
Mertens waits next
Paolini now moves on to face 21st seed Elise Mertens in the third round. The defending champion still has work ahead, but she left her opener with a win, a place in the third round, and a line that will need to tighten if she is going to defend the title in Rome.
