Paolini is living a daydream: "I'm really happy to have dreamed of this moment and to see it come true."

At the age of 28, Jasmine Paolini is about to experience her first Grand Slam final. After a royal tournament in Paris, she totally dominated Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals (6-3, 6-1). The delighted Italian made no secret of her delight in a post-match interview.

Beaming with happiness, she confessed she was living a dream: "I'm really happy to have dreamt of this moment and to see it come true. I don't really know what to say, I'm so moved."

Looking back on the match, the player who will be ranked at least 7th in the world on Monday praised her victim of the day: "It was a tough match. She plays incredibly well, she's only 17. She has such a complete game. I was a little worried before the match, having lost to her a month ago. So I said to myself: 'I've got to do better than that'.

During the first set, I was a bit tense, but point after point, I gradually managed to relax. I know it's difficult at this stage, but I managed to win this match in the end."

Asked about her physical and mental preparation since she had lost to the same Russian player in Madrid, Paolini explained with sincerity: "I remembered it well and so did Lorenzo (defeat in Madrid, 7-6, 6-4)! It was painful in Madrid, I was in the lead, 5-2, and I ended up losing.

So I thought I'd just go out there and try to do better than last time. I said to myself: 'hit the ball and enjoy it', and it worked, I'm really very happy!"