Paolini becomes first Italian women's player to make Miami Open semis

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jasmine Paolini is headed to the Miami Open semifinals for the first time.

The sixth-seeded Paolini defeated unseeded Magda Linette of Poland 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to make the tournament's final four this year.

Paolini is the first Italian woman to make the semifinals at Miami. There were six instances of Italian women making the quarterfinals there, most recently Martina Trevisan in 2023.

Paolini will face top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. Sabalenka topped ninth-seeded Qinwen Zheng of China 6-2, 7-5 in their quarterfinal match on Tuesday night, capping a day where rain postponed many matches by several hours.

The other side of the women's bracket is set for quarterfinal matches Wednesday, with fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula of the U.S. taking on Britain's Emma Radacanu, and second-seeded Iga Swiatek facing Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis