Paolini closes with a flourish to reach her first Rome semifinal

In a match featuring a number of almost unfathomable swings in momentum, home favorite Jasmine Paolini emerged as a 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2 winner over Diana Shnaider to advance to the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

On Thursday, she’ll play the winner of the later match between No. 16 Elina Svitolina and unseeded Peyton Stearns.

This one had the heft and weight of a marquee soccer game with host AS Roma playing at the adjacent Stadio Olimpico. Frustrated after the Italian broke her to level the third set at 2-all, Shnaider whipped her arms in a frenzy, sarcastically asking the crowd for more noise. They responded with shrill cheers and songs and whistles.

A quick summary:

• Paolini won the opening four games of the match -- and lost an emphatic first-set tiebreak.
• Shnaider won the first four games of the second set -- and was a single point from a 5-1 lead -- and lost six straight games.
• After Shnaider took a 2-0 lead in the third, Paolini contrived to win six straight games, taking control of the match.

Paolini is only the fifth Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the final four in Rome -- and the first since doubles partner Sara Errani did it 11 years ago.

At the age of 29, Paolini is the oldest of those successful players: Laura Garrone (1985 and 1986), Raffaella Reggi (1985), Caterina Nozzoli (1985) and Errani (2013 and 2014).

This is her third WTA 1000 semifinal, after Dubai 2024 and Miami 2025.

The 2-hour, 28-minute match featured an astounding total of 15 breaks of serve. In the end, Paolini finished with nine, three more than Shnaider.

Shnaider won the toss and elected to open the match by serving. On the surface, it seemed like a good decision, for she had only been broken once in three previous matches -- saving 16 of 17 break points in the process.

But Paolini immediately forged a break point and converted it when Shnaider double-faulted. After a solid hold by Paolini, it happened again. When a forehand sailed long, Shnaider -- who had dropped only 11 games in her three matches -- was down 3-0, soon it was 4-0.

And then Shnaider, improbably, won six straight games.

Both players were broken and the first set moved to a tiebreak. Paolini, failing to win even one of her serves, lost seven of eight points. Shnaider played fast and confidently and one last error from Paolini (a forehand into the net) gave her the rollicking first set.

Her momentum continued into the second set, as Shnaider raced out to a 3-0 start. She won the first two points of the fourth game when rain delayed the match for seven minutes. Shnaider promptly won the next two points and led 4-0.

Paolini came back, breaking Shnaider in an 18-point game -- converting her fifth break-point chance -- to make it 4-2. Shnaider’s movement gradually decreased and with it her ability to run around her backhand. In a dead sprint, Paolini closed out the set to force the decider.

Shnaider went up an early break before Paolini made one final, magnificent run.