Jasmine Paolini reached the Italian Open final on Thursday, May 15.
World number five Paolini defeated American professional tennis star Peyton Stearns with a score of 7-5, 6-1.
In the first set, Paolini struggled and even faced losing the first set when she was down 3-5, with Stearns having a chance to win the set.
However, Stearns couldn't keep her serve and Paolini came back and eventually won the match.
Paolini credits crowd energy as she pursues historic Rome victory:
After winning the match, the 29-year-old told Sky Sports, "At the beginning, I was feeling so slow. I told myself I had to hit the ball harder because she was playing amazing, but I managed to stay in there somehow and I won the match and I'm really happy about it."
She went on to share, "In the first round I was nervous and in the second also, and maybe again today, but the crowd was unbelievable and they helped me a lot."
"It's beautiful to play here in Italy and they support us no matter what, so that is the most important thing," Paolini, who is aiming to become the first Italian women in 40 years to win the singles title at the Rome tournament added.
With this victory, she has now become the first Italian woman to reach the final in Rome since Sara Errani in 2014.
What's next for Paolini?
Paolini will now face either American world number three Coco Gauff or Zheng Qinwen from China in the final.
