Jasmine Paolini’s patented smile has remained all throughout her time in Cincinnati thus far, and with good reason, given how well she is playing.
The Italian is enjoying an impressive year, following up a landmark 2024 with a series of solid results that culminated in that Masters 1000 title in Rome.
There, she overcame Coco Gauff in a hard-fought affair, proving her prowess on the clay.
However, things will be completely different when they next meet, poised to do battle for a spot in the Cincinnati Open semi-finals.
Ahead of that match, and just after she had swept aside Barbora Krejčíková in remarkably comfortable fashion, Paolini previewed the showdown.
Jasmine Paolini previews her match against Coco Gauff
First speaking about Krejčíková, who she had just beaten 6-1, 6-2, the 29-year-old was magnanimous in her on-court interview.
She admitted: “I know, I think she wasn’t 100%, but she’s an unbelievable player, it’s always tough to have to play against her, and she has a huge talent. She can put the ball wherever she wants, every time. I don’t know how she does this.
“But I’m happy that I stayed there mentally until the last point because it wasn’t easy, you know, and I tried my best. I think I played a great match.”
Then asked about Gauff and how she might be able to trouble her on these hard courts rather than clay, she joked: “I don’t know. Maybe I should play like I play on a clay court.”
Paolini then offered a more serious assessment of her upcoming opponent: “It’s tough to play here. It’s so different here, so fast, so yeah, a couple of years ago, I won five games, so I hope to do better.
“She’s a great player, great personality, great person as well. We’ll try to have a good match, a quality match, and we’ll see, you know, it’s always nice to play against a champion like Coco.”
She has every right to fear the 21-year-old, with Gauff now rivalling a Martina Hingis record due to her form in Cincinnati.
Jasmine Paolini’s head-to-head record vs Coco Gauff
Interestingly, these two top-ten players have a head-to-head currently locked at two wins apiece, and therefore, this next match will see one pull ahead of the other.
And, based on their historic match-ups, it’s hard not to favour Gauff.
She has enjoyed far more success on these surfaces than Paolini, and as a former title-holder in Cincinnati, boasts pedigree at this particular venue too.
That would therefore explain why she won the first two meetings of this particular head-to-head, in Adelaide and Cincinnati.
| Year | Event | Round | Winner |
| 2025 | Italian Open | Final | Jasmine Paolini |
| 2025 | Stuttgart Open | Quarter-finals | Jasmine Paolini |
| 2023 | Cincinnati Open | Quarter-finals | Coco Gauff |
| 2021 | Adelaide International | First Round | Coco Gauff |
However, based on more recent form against one another, Paolini would be favoured, having beaten Gauff twice in 2025, though both wins came on clay.
It’s hard to distinguish between the two, but we are promised an energetic affair between two of the WTA’s top players.
