Jasmine Paolini set for surge into top 15 after Dubai title in big ranking win as Coco Gauff misses opportunity

Italy’s tennis star Jasmine Paolini is set for a major jump after her heroics in the recently concluded Dubai Duty-Free Championship.

The 28-year-old won the WTA 1000 title in the Middle East after beating Anna Kalinskaya in the final in straight sets with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

After that shocking result, Paolini is now set for a major jump when it comes to her position in the WTA rankings. The Garfagnana-born was the world number 26 before the start of the competition and with now the title under her belt, she will move into the top 20.

One of the players who will be kicking themselves after the tournament will be America’s Coco Gauff. The 19-year-old missed a golden opportunity to climb further up the ladder, especially after the current world number one Iga Swiatek was also knocked out earlier.

However, Gauff, who started the competition on the third position will finish on the third as well after losing in the quarterfinal to Anna Kalinskaya with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

One of the players, despite having a poor outing, will feel relatively good about herself will be Swiatek. The 22-year-old ended the Middle East chapter of the season with 10,105 ranking points, nearly 1,300 more than second-placed Aryna Sabalenka (8,725 points).