Wimbledon 2024: Paolini outlasts Vekic in record-breaking semifinal (Ld)

London, July 11 (IANS) Italy's Jasmine Paolini battled from a set down and twice a break down in the decider to outlast Donna Vekic in three sets in the longest semifinal-ever in women's singles at Wimbledon here on Thursday. Paolini, the No.7 seed, defeated Vekic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(8) in 2 hours and 51 minutes to become the first Italian woman to reach the final at Wimbledon in the Open Era.

The previous longest Wimbledon semifinal had been Serena Williams's 6-7(4), 7-5, 8-6 defeat of Elena Dementieva in 2009, a contest which lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes.

Around 15 years on, Paolini held her first match point at 5-4 in the third set and her second at 6-5 before edging Vekic on her third in a gripping super-tiebreak. The result was her third win in four meetings with Vekic. The runner-up at Roland Garros a month ago to Iga Swiatek, Paolini has immediately backed up that run with her second major final. The 28-year-old is the first player since Serena in 2016 to reach both the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same season.

Paolini is only the fifth player to accomplish that feat in the past 25 years following Steffi Graf (1999), Serena Williams (2002, 2015, 2016), Venus Williams (2002), and Justine Henin (2006).

The runner-up at Roland Garros a month ago to Iga Swiatek, Paolini has immediately backed up that run with her second major final. The 28-year-old is the first player since Serena in 2016 to reach both the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same season.

Paolini is only the fifth player to accomplish that feat in the past 25 years following Steffi Graf (1999), Serena Williams (2002, 2015, 2016), Venus Williams (2002), and Justine Henin (2006).

In a nerve-wracking clash, Paolini came out on top of the final rally and the Centre Court rose as one to give both competitors a standing ovation at the end of nearly three hours of thrilling tennis.

The closing stages had been the most tense. Vekic had led 3-1 in the third set and broke again for 4-3, but Paolini had pegged her back both times. Vekic managed to find a service winner to stave off one match point down 5-4 but came out on the wrong end of a five-deuce tussle in the subsequent game as Paolini held for 6-5. On the final point of that game, Vekic used up her final Hawkeye challenge and looked devastated as it showed her forehand had gone wide by inches.

But Vekic battled valiantly to the end. She saved another match point down 6-5 by firing a forehand winner to end one of the best rallies of the day and stayed committed to aggression off that wing throughout a tiebreak in which neither player was ever more than two points in front of the other.

As the match went on, though, Paolini was able to find more and more ways to counter Vekic's pace and was quick to sense an opportunity for herself. Time and again, she tracked down Vekic's hardest shots, then turned defense into offense as soon as she could set up her forehand. In the end, it was the Vekic forehand that broke down on the two final points.

It was Vekic who set the tone of the first semifinal of the 2024 Wimbledon by winning the first set. Her dominance came on the back of a superb serve. The World No.37 dropped just three points in total on her serve and was remorseless in punishing Paolini's second serve.

Though Paolini won 11 out of 15 first-serve points, that dropped to just five out of 17 on her second delivery. Unable to get on the front foot consistently, Paolini found only five winners to Vekic's 12.

But the second set saw Paolini emerge with renewed intensity. She began to read Vekic's sneak drop shot strategy and responded with pinpoint lobs and brilliant volleys. At 2-2, she fended off two break points with clutch serving.

The turning point came at 4-4. After a desperate defensive lob from Paolini (above), Vekic set up to slam the overhead winner home -- only to send it wide of the tramlines. Amid gasps from the crowd, Paolini went on to hold and seized her opportunity in the next game by upping her aggression on return.

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