In the end, it was a disappointing loss for Jasmine Paolini. Riding high on the back of making it to the 4th round at each of the Grand Slam tournaments this season, the Italian star suffered a shocking defeat against Karolina Muchova in straight sets at the US Open. Paolini was expected to sail through, especially with some strong backing in the stands for her. The editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour, was in attendance to cheer for Paolini. However, her presence failed to inspire the Italian star and she succumbed to defeat.

This was not the first match that Wintour was attending at this year’s US Open. On the opening day of the tournament, she was present at the Flushing Meadows along with fellow fashion icon, Vera Wang. However, they weren’t the only stars present during the U.S. Open Opening Night Gala, which is an annual event that supports the U.S.T.A. Foundation’s pledge to help 150,000 underserved young American people play tennis. Wintour and Vera Wang were joined by the likes of Andy Roddick and Alec Baldwin on the opening night, as they made it a starry affair.

Wintour has been a big fan of Paolini and cheered for her throughout her match today. The two even caught up at the US Open previously and the Italian star was left embarrassed with her dressing choice, saying, “Met Anna Wintour today — I’ve never felt so underdressed in my life!” However, Wintour’s support failed to inspire Paolini in the match against Muchova, as she lost in straight sets by 6-3, 6-3. Nonetheless, fans were impressed to see Wintour’s support for the Italian star.

Fans in awe of Anna Wintour’s support for Jasmine Paolini

The fans flooded social media to react to Wintour cheering for Paolini during the match. Big celebrities cheering for the players can go both ways. While some players feel added support, the others can feel added pressure as well. Paolini might have felt the pressure with Wintour watching, as she went down tamely in straight sets. One of the fans on X expressed this sentiment, as he wrote, “If I knew Anna Wintour was rooting for me, I would be stressed out of my mind.”

On the other hand, one of the fans was shocked to see Wintour cheering for Paolini. “Anna Wintour being Jasmine Paolini’s n°1 fan was not something I expected but it’s definitely something I LOVE TO SEE,” the fan wrote. It is no secret that Wintour is a big fan of tennis. As a result, she has been making the rounds of the US Open this year, catching a glimpse of several matches.

One X user was ecstatic to see Wintour enjoy the matches at Flushing Meadows, as he wrote, “Anna Wintour front row at Louis Armstrong. Gotta love the consistency.” At a time when tennis viewership is dwindling, stars like Wintour can uplift the numbers with their presence.

One of the fans felt that it was a new beginning for the sport, saying, “Anna Wintour… at Armstrong? This really is a new era of tennis…” Paolini’s match was scheduled in the morning session on Monday. Despite the early start, there were no Monday blues for Wintour, who made sure she was in attendance during the match. A surprised fan wrote on X, “damn Anna wintour really came out to watch paolini at 11am on a Monday.”

Despite the highs of making it to the fourth round of all the major tournaments this year, it was a disappointing end for Paolini. Can she come back strongly in the upcoming tournaments? Let us know in the comments below.