Italian tennis stars making history at Wimbledon

LONDON: A month ago, Italian sports fans were hoping to see their team defend their European Championship title in soccer this weekend. Instead, they have found new reasons to cheer as two of their tennis stars stand on the brink of history.
Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to reach a Wimbledon final when she mounted a thrilling comeback to defeat unseeded Croatian Donna Vekic on Thursday. Paolini will face Czech player Barbora Krejcikova in Saturday’s final at the All England Club. Despite a ban on large flags at Wimbledon, Italian fans have not hesitated to wave the Tricolore in support of their players. Their enthusiasm is sure to be on display again when 22-year-old Lorenzo Musetti steps onto Centre Court to take on 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the men’s semi-finals on Friday.
Before this year’s Wimbledon, Paolini and Musetti had only won two matches at the tournament, both by the latter. Paolini, 28, had not even won a match on grass before last month. Now, however, there is a palpable sense of momentum in Italian tennis, especially with Jannik Sinner rising to world number one after winning the Australian Open in January. No Italian has ever won a singles title at Wimbledon, but this weekend, the dreams of Italian tennis fans could come true.