Fourth seed Paolini cruises past Starodubtseva and into fourth round
PARIS, May 30 (Reuters) - Fourth seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy eased past Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva in straight sets on Friday to reach the French Open fourth round.
Starodubtseva, looking to earn her first career win over a top 10 player, was no match for last year's French Open finalist who will next face either Ukraine's Elina Svitolina or American Bernarda Pera.
"It was a good match after a few games. In the beginning I was not feeling really well. The conditions are different today from previous rounds," Paolini said in a post-match interview.
The sun and heat, however, did not stop her earning a 23rd Grand Slam match win in 2024 and 2025, second only to world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
"It is so strange. I am feeling good, playing here, and I just enjoy being on this stage," added Paolini when asked to explain her fine run in the majors in the past two seasons.
Starodubtseva, ranked 81st in the world, did well in the first set to stretch the diminutive Italian with her powerful forehand, as the pair traded two breaks apiece.
Paolini, who earlier in May became the first Italian woman in four decades to claim the Italian Open title, bagged the first set 6-4 with a superb drop shot on her first set point.
The 29-year-old late bloomer, who also reached last year's Wimbledon final, took a page out of her opponent's book, moving the Ukrainian with her baseline game, and it paid off as Starodubtseva sharply increased her error count.
With a total of 13 unforced errors in the first set, Starodubtseva lost her focus and after only four games in the second set had double faulted three times and had 10 unforced errors.
By that time Paolini had taken complete control and rattled off the next four games, sealing her win when her opponent sank a backhand into the net.
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