French Open 2024: Jasmine Paolini vs Mirra Andreeva; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

It’s time for the clash of two underdogs in the SF of the 2024 French Open! Unseeded Mirra Andreeva is all set to take on the 12th seed Jasmine Paolini in this do-or-die clash on Thursday (June 6). How many of you have predicted them to finish in the last four in Paris this year? Not many, right? But still, they have managed to make it to the semis after defeating some of the heavyweights in this game. This reflects their potential and both players have been in good form in this tournament. So, surely this is going to be a nail-biting contest!

Both Jasmine Paolini and Mirra Andreeva are extremely competitive and they have reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the very first time in their careers. They will be looking forward to bringing out their A-games in this match. But who has the higher chance of winning this intriguing contest?

Jasmine Paolini vs Mirra Andreeva: Preview

Jasmine Paolini has already won a title this year. She has also reached the QF of the 2024 Stuttgart Open. In this tournament, the 28-year-old Italian tennis star has showcased a fair bit of resilience in her previous matches. She defeated the world number four, Elena Rybakina by 6-2,4-6,6-4 in the QF. In that match, Paolini hit just a single ace and committed only one double fault. She won 57% of her first serve and 67% of her second serve. However, the Italian could only manage to convert seven out of her sixteen breakpoints in that epic contest.

Paolini is having one of the best seasons of her career this year. If we look at her numbers from this season, the world number 15 has hit 34 aces this season and has committed 38 double faults so far. She has won 67.2% of her service games and just 40.4% of her return games. Jasmine Paolini knows her next match is going to be a “tough match“, so she needs to improve her numbers a bit to counter the fearless teenager.

Mirra Andreeva also believes this is going to be a “great match“. The 17-year-old Russian tennis sensation has reached three QF this year. She earned one of the biggest victories in her career by defeating the world number 2, Aryna Sabalenka in the QF of the 2024 French Open. With that victory over Sabalenka, she has now become the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist since Martina Hingis in 1997. She defeated the Belarusian by 7-6(5),6-4,6-4 in her previous match. 

Andreeva hit four aces against Sabalenka and committed seven double faults. Her first serve win percentage was 57% but it jumped to 58% on her second serve. She successfully converted eight of her fourteen breakpoints against Sabalenka. If we look at her overall numbers from this season, the teenager has hit 46 aces and committed 47 double faults. She has won 65.8% of her service games and 43.5% of her return games. 

Paolini vs Andreeva: Head-to-Head

Both the players have met each other on one occasion so far. It was at the Madrid Open this year and in that match, Mirra Andreeva defeated Jasmine Paolini by 7-6(2), 6-4 in the R16. She hit five aces in that match and committed just one double fault. Jasmine Paolini could only manage to hit one ace against the Russian and she had also committed one double fault in the entire match. Paolini won 50% of her first serve and 46% of her second serve, but Andreeva won 56% of her first serve and 44% of her second serve. 

She converted six out of her eight breakpoints against the Italian. However, Paolini could only manage to convert five out of her eight breakpoints. Mirra Andreeva was seen dancing to the tunes of the song ‘Teenage Dream” after her emphatic victory over Aryna Sabalenka. Can she now defeat the in-form Italian and proceed to her first Grand Slam final?

Prediction: Paolini to win this match in three sets

Mirra Andreeva has surely become more mature and has improved a lot over the years. But Jasmine Paolini is much more experienced than her and she surely knows a way to two to get out of this high-pressure matching with flying colors. So, taking an early lead in this intriguing match will be the key to success for both players. If somehow, Mirra Andreeva gets a good start in this match, she may well use her low-risk-taking game to see through the match. But if she doesn’t then, the Italian may well be more composed to seal the deal.

The 5’4″ Jasmine Paolini loves to capitalize on her speed and her versatile topspin forehand to unsettle her opponents. She has more of an aggressive style of play compared to Andreeva. Her strong forehand is one of her lethal weapons. Mirra Andreeva on the other hand is more of a defensive player and she likes to rely on her opponent’s mistakes more often in the matches. The 5’9″ has a stronger serve and an equally venomous backhand. She can also utilize her slices effectively against her opponents.

Currently, Mirra Andreeva has a win-loss record of 12-7 this season, while it’s 16-10 for Jasmine Paolini. But looking at their experience of playing bigger matches, Paolini looks slightly ahead of the mighty challenger, Mirra Andreeva!