Paolini secures her first career quarterfinal in Rome

In front of her home crowd, Jasmine Paolini managed to handle the power of Jelena Ostapenko (7-5, 6-2), the Stuttgart champion from a month ago, to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 in Rome.

The Italian, ranked world No. 5, had never previously advanced past the second round at the Foro Italico. Now, she stands just three wins away from the title and will next face Diana Shnaider, who also qualified for her very first quarterfinal in Rome.

Along the way, Paolini became the second-oldest Italian player (29 years and 123 days) to reach this stage of the tournament in Rome, after Silvia Farina Elia, who made the quarterfinals in 2004 at the age of 32.