Italian Paolini fends off Wang Xiyu in Cluj to reach second career WTA final
Jasmine Paolini won against Xiyu Wang 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 on Saturday and will face qualifier Anna Blinkova for the title
Italian Jasmine Paolini defeated Chinese Xiyu Wang, the No 7 seed, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the final of the Transylvania Open by Verdino on Saturday.
Paolini, ranked No 78, will face qualifier Anna Blinkova in her first final of 2022 and only the second final of her career.
The Italian won against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, the No 6 seed (5-7, 6-3, 6-4), Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska (6-4, 6-1) and German Jule Niemeier (7-5, 7-5) earlier in the tournament.
In the previous rounds, Wang, ranked No 59, won against Romanian Jaqueline Cristian (6-3, 6-3), Romanian wildcard Elena-Gabriela Ruse (6-1, 6-7 (8), 7-6 (6)) and Spaniard Nuria Parrizas Diaz (6-1, 7-6 (5)).