A first-time women’s single champion will lift the trophy on centre court for the seventh-straight year at Wimbledon as Jasmine Paolini prepares to face Barbora Krejcikova.
The match will be the first time the pair compete for in the title match at Wimbledon, with Paolini set to play in her second major final in the past four weeks.
Krejcikova is hunting down her second grand slam title, having won the French Open in 2021. If she is to win the match she will become just the fifth Czech player to lift the All England Club trophy.
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Paolini reached the final after a tiring 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) victory over Donna Vekic in what was the longest recorded Wimbledon women’s singles match in history.
She is the first Italian to reach the Wimbledon final.
Jasmine Paolini in action. Getty
Former player and respected commentator Mark Petchey backed Paolini to be crowned the title on Saturday (AEST), predicting her name will remain at the forefront of the headlines as she continues her rise to fame.
“I think I’m going with my heart over my head here but I think Jasmine Paolini has just been one of the great sport stories of 2024,” he told Stan Sport’s Grand Slam Daily.
“I just love her manner. I think probably one of the biggest things (is) how do you handle an occasion like this?
“Krejcikova has won one of these and she won countless doubles, and Olympic gold. Therefore the experience, tick, straight [in favour of] Krejcikova. Having said that, I just think Paolini’s personality is going to be big enough to handle the occasion and she’s going to get it done.”
Australian tennis great Casey Dellacqua says the 28-year-old’s “hustler” mentality and joyful playing style will likely propel her desire and motivation in the final.
However, Dellacqua foreshadow a three-set match.
“I’m going to go with Paolini but I think it will be three sets,” she said.
“I think it’s going to be tight but I think Jasmine Paolini is going to get the maiden title.
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“I think it’s more the space she’s in as a player and at terms of where she’s at in her career. When you watch her play, it’s hard not to like her. She’s just this big smile on her face and this energy about her. She’s ready to play, ready to hustle, ready to do whatever it takes to win and she’s got the confidence to do it. She’s a pocket rocket.
“She is also quick with a low centre of gravity, meaning on a grass court she can use the pace of shot to redirect and do well.
“She’s made her way into her second final in a major in the space of four weeks… she’s a rock star. I think she’s got a really good shot [at the final].”