Dubai: Jasmine Paolini returns to cour after four-hour rain delay to convert MP

Jasmine Paolini played probably one of the craziest matches of her career today as she and Eva Lys saw their match suspended multiple times due to rain.

On Tuesday morning in Dubai – after a first-round bye – the defending champion took on the rising German star in her Dubai opener.

After dominating the first set and winning it with a 6-2 scoreline, the fourth-seeded Italian also started the second set with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

However, Lys wasn’t interested in quitting as she responded with back-to-back breaks to overturn the second-set deficit and go 4-3 up.

That’s when the first rain delay happened.

After the match resumed, only two more games were played and Paolini went 5-4 up.

When the match again continued as the German was serving to stay in the match, that same game was twice stopped before the two left the court.

And they left the court with the defending champion having a match point.

When the rain finally went away and the two returned to the court nearly four hours after the interruption, Paolini converted that match point to complete a 6-2 7-5 win.

Paolini d. Eva Lys 6-2 7-5

So many rain delays, I lost count.

From 3-0, to 3-4 in the 2nd set… this got tricky.

But Jasmine gets her title defense up & running.

6th straight win in Dubai

Back in a very special place.

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— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 18, 2025

Paolini plays next Sofia Kenin

In the Dubai round-of-16, the world No. 4 will be facing 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin.

When they meet, it will be their third meeting but also the first one in six years.

Previously, American Kenin beat Paolini on the clay courts of Rome in 2019 and also won their Guangzhou meeting later that year.

However, a lot has changed since then as the Italian is now a top-5 player and one of the best in the game.